Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud

Rad and Teri talk about TIFF's opening night and some of the big Canadian films getting a lot of love. Also, why Elamin isn't there (spoiler: he broke his leg).

Librarian Laura Winton joins guest host Amil Niazi to share her reaction to news that the Alberta government has hit pause on a ban that would've seen more than 200 books be removed from public school libraries in Edmonton, including Margaret Atwood's 'The Handmaid's Tale,' due to sexually explicit content. Plus, the new show KPOPPED has artists like the Spice Girls, Boyz II Men and TLC reimagine...

Today on Commotion, guest host Amil Niazi sits down with Jesse Wente to talk about his friend, the iconic Canadian actor Graham Greene, who died Monday in Stratford, Ont., at the age of 73.  Plus, critics Eric Deggans, Rachel Ho and Kathryn VanArendonk join Amil to talk about the most anticipated fall TV shows.

Our attention spans are shrinking in a big way. Culture writer Rebecca Jennings, tech and public policy expert Vass Bednar, and media studies professor Siva Vaidhyanathan join the group chat with Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about how social media and our phones are changing our relationship to art.

It’s the end of the week, and what a week it's been in pop music. There’s a new Sabrina Carpenter album, a new album from The Beaches, and that casual engagement announcement that broke the internet. Culture critics Reanna Cruz, Natalie Harmsen and Fran Hoepfner join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to unpack it all.

Users of AI chatbots like ChatGPT are turning them into friends and romantic partners, some are even falling in love. Kashmir Hill, technology reporter for the New York Times, chats with Elamin about how the new version of ChatGPT has left some users with a broken heart. And Globe and Mail TV critic J. Kelly Nestruck makes the case that the Canadian public broadcaster shouldn’t be remaking th...

Elamin is joined by culture critics El Jones and Riley Yesno to discuss the popularity of the YouTube debate series ‘Surrounded,’ and what it says about the way entertainment media platforms are mining hot button politicized topics and journalistic sensibilities to drive engagement. 

TikTok Canada is shutting down – after a national security review flagged the threat of espionage by the Chinese government. Canadians will still be able to access TikTok .. but Canadian artists like the Beaches and bbno$ say they’re about to lose a vital resource. Tell Tale Harbour has made a big splash at this year's Charlottetown Festival. Based on the film The Grand Seduction, the new Canadian...

Author Jael Richardson and sports journalist Shireen Ahmed join guest host Radheyan Simonpillai to talk about the U.S. Open’s newest venture: a reality dating show set at the grand slam tennis tournament. Also, with Mac DeMarco releasing his first proper album in six years, ‘Guitar,’ his old friend Rollie Pemberton, a.k.a. Cadence Weapon, explains how the impish kid he knew in the Edmonton un...

Korean-culture writer Regina Kim, film critic Rachel Ho, and CBC entertainment reporter Jackson Weaver join the Group Chat to discuss the massive impact of Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters as it transitions to the big screen; and whether the new English-dub version of the hugely successful Chinese animated film Ne Zha 2 will translate into North American success. 

With the release of ‘Highest 2 Lowest,’ the latest collab between Oscar-winners Spike Lee and Denzel Washington, Commotion guest host Rad Simonpillai is joined by culture critic Jay Smooth and film critic Sarah-Tai Black to discuss the reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s classic film, and where it stands amongst past Spike-Denzel movies. Also, as Oasis gets set to perform in Toronto, Guardian writer R...

It's been a year since the viral meme of Australian Olympic breakdancer Raygun hit the internet. Now we’ve got a musical about a dancer called 'Spraygun' at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Australian journalist Sean Tarek Goodwin talks about the show.

For 50 years, Jaws has been entertained with its unforgettable score, frightening practical effects and its compelling sense of adventure. Today on Commotion, superfans Norm Wilner and Tomris Laffly join guest host Radheyan Simonpillai to talk about how Jaws changed the way we see cinema -- and the ocean -- forever.

It’s been ten years since Carly Rae Jepsen released her iconic album, 'Emotion.' The group chat is here to dive into how this album cemented Carly’s status as a pop artist, an indie artist, a cult favourite and a queer icon. 

With Howard Stern’s SiriusXM satellite radio contract contract set to expire and his future uncertain, culture writer Niko Stratis, former radio morning man Matt Hart and comedian and podcaster Ashley Ray discuss Stern’s notorious legacy, his transformation from shock jock to congenial, conscientious host, and whether his voice is still necessary in 2025’s overcrowded media landscape.

After 3 seasons, the Sex and the City revival series And Just Like That has come to an end. Are we ready to say goodbye to the inimitable Carrie Bradshaw and her adventures in New York City? Today on Commotion, culture writers Amil Niazi, Anne T. Donahue and Chris Murphy join guest host Ali Hassan to unpack the end of the iconic franchise, and to talk about Taylor Swift’s newly-announced album, Th...

Commotion guest host Ali Hassan is joined by panelists Kathryn VanArendonk and Ashley Ray to discuss the new season of South Park and comedian/podcaster Marc Maron in the era of Trump and polarizing politics. Plus, Carole V. Bell talks about Canadian Maria Reva’s debut novel Endling, which is on the Booker Prize 2025 longlist.

Days after she turned 18, Canadian-American former child star and influencer Lil Tay said she's launched an OnlyFans account. Internet culture reporter Kat Tenbarge talks with guest host Ali Hassan about the reaction online, and how Lil Tay seems to have built her career on viral stunts. Plus, Ojibway playwright Drew Hayden Taylor discusses an increasingly common conundrum in the world of Ind...

Commotion guest host Ali Hassan is joined by film/tv critics Rad Simonpillai and Alison Herman to discuss the new tv show 'Alien: Earth' and what the series might add to the iconic sci-fi horror franchise. Journalist Max Read discusses the sudden resurgence of interest in Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros’ 2009 folk-pop hit “Home,” which was recently named The Worst Song Ever in a viral socia...

Beauty influencers are now incorporating true crime into their makeup routines. Social media influencers like Bailey Sarian post weekly videos of themselves sharing details of a famous crime case while applying a full face. Amil Niazi and Riley Yesno discuss the trend and what it says about the way people consume true crime. Plus, with the release of the animated series ‘Eyes of Wakanda’ on D...

Every music critic seems to agree: 2025 has no true song of summer. Last August, Teddy Swims’s “Lose Control” dominated the charts. This year…Teddy Swims’s “Lose Control” dominates the charts. What’s going on? Why is there no new summer song to unite us in collective listening, and will there ever be again? Elamin recently joined Switched on Pop ’s Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding to discuss the dea...

Commotion guest host Rad Simonpillai is joined by film and culture critics Jackson Weaver, Rachel Ho and Joyita Sengupta to discuss the horror films ‘Weapons’ and ‘Together’ along with buzzing homegrown movie,‘Shook.’

Recently, the Nelk Boys, a Canadian YouTube duo known for their prank videos, released an interview with Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Hasan PIker, Justin Ling and Alyssa Mercante react to the interview and what it reveals about the current media landscape. 

Theatre critics Glenn Sumi and Joshua Chong talk about the story lighting up Broadway this week -- the casting of Andrew Barth Feldman, a white actor, in the musical Maybe Happy Ending, a Seoul-set comedy about robots finding love at the end of their batteries. Plus, Reanna Cruz talks about Chappell Roan's new single, and about her commitment to speaking out - from everything to the ills of social...

The Naked Gun is back! Liam Neeson reprises Leslie Neilson’s role in the classic spoof movie and Adam Sandler is back with another Happy Gilmore. Alison Willmore and Adam Nayman join guest host Rad Simonpillai to talk about the summer of the comedy reboot.