Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud

A new biopic explores the rise and fall of Miss Cleo, the controversial queen of the psychic hotline era. Podcaster and comedian Ashley Ray joins Elamin to talk about whether the backlash against her was appropriate -- and Miss Cleo's place in popular culture. Also, Dublin-based culture critic Louise Bruton talks about the political and cultural influence of hip-hop trio Kneecap, who rap primarily...

Sadaf Ahsan and CT Jones join Elamin to discuss the box office hit It Ends With Us, starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, based on Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel. Plus, culture writer Kathryn Van Arendonk talks about the hype surrounding the third season of HBO’s Industry, a fast-paced show about young professionals in the finance business.

The Summer Olympics in Paris had something for everyone – even if you couldn’t care less about sports, the memes were golden and the celebrities were out in full force. The group chat wraps up the Olympics in Paris.

Culture critics Dalton Higgins and Danae Peart and DJ and MC Walshy Fire join guest host Rad Simonpillai for a conversation about one of dancehall music's greatest names - Vybz Kartel. The group chat discusses his recent release from prison, his music and cultural influence.

Celebrities are lining up to show their support for Kamala Harris, but will those endorsements translate into votes? Brea Baker joins Commotion guest host Rad Simonpillai to talk about the celebrity glow emanating from Kamala’s campaign – and whether there could be a downside on election day . Also, film critic Sarah-Tai Black & CBC Entertainment reporter Jackson Weaver review the prison drama...

Music journalist Maura Johnston joins guest host Rad Simonpillai to talk about 'Dirty Pop,' a Netflix documentary that explores Lou Pearlman's life, the mastermind and con man behind boy bands like N'Sync and Backstreet Boys. Plus, Stephen Yan from ‘Wok with Yan’ is making his first public appearance in 30 years. The Toronto Star's food reporter Karon Liu talks about growing up watching Stephen Ya...

Guest host Rad Simonpillai is joined by culture critics Sean T Collins and Alison Herman to respond to the season finale of HBO’s ‘House of The Dragon’ and discuss whether this prequel to ‘Game of Thrones’ has what it takes to stand on its own. Plus, film critic Rachel Ho explains why director Sean Wang’s debut feature, ‘Didi,’ is a coming-of-age film like no other.

With this year being the 25th anniversary of the release of The Matrix, Elamin is joined by film critics Bilge Ebiri and Rad Simonpillai to look at its impact on film then, and pop culture now.

Elamin is joined by CBC sports journalist Shireen Ahmed, culture critic Mel Woods and the CBC's senior entertainment reporter Eli Glasner to talk about some of this week's big stories in arts and culture, including Robert Downey Jr return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Doctor Doom, and the women's soccer quarter final at the Olympic Games in Paris.

Music journalists Suzy Exposito and Reanna Cruz unpack the unlikely success of Cigarettes After Sex, the enigmatic and extremely chilled Texan indie-pop band who are selling out arenas this summer and racking up Spotify streams that rival the world’s biggest pop stars. Plus, sports journalist Adam Skolnick talks about the Olympics paradox: why is surfing—one of the most exciting daredevil sports o...

How are you watching the Summer Games in Paris? You’ve got streaming platforms offering more live coverage than ever, and Olympians are creating their own content on TikTok. Culture writers Mel Woods and Morgan Campbell join Elamin to look at how we’re watching - and how it’s changing the Games.

Olympic FOMO is your daily Olympics recap, in 20 minutes or less. Besties Mark and Jem go behind-the-scenes bringing you the wins, losses, and hot goss from the Athlete's Village. They’ve got next-level access to Paris 2024 so you never have FOMO (fear of missing Olympics) again. More episodes are available at: https://link.chtbl.com/93XjKZot

There’s a very messy and public fight between Hybe and the CEO of its subsidiary label ADOR, Min Hee-jin, who produces the popular K-pop group NewJeans. Michelle Cho and Jennifer Zhan look at what this feud says about the high stakes of the K-pop economy and the future of NewJeans. Plus, Afrobeats superstar Rema continues to reinvent himself with his new album 'HEIS'. Music journalist Matt Amha ta...

'All Fours' by Miranda July follows an artist in her mid-40s as she navigates the breakdown of her marriage, and how perimenopause changes her relationship with her body. Culture critics Heather O’Neill and Jennifer Wilson talk to Elamin about why this novel is resonating so widely with readers. Plus, it’s been more than a decade since video game giant EA Sports put out a game for college football...

Culture critics Rachel Ho, Radheyan Simonpillai, and Teri Hart join Elamin to discuss Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman’s blockbuster match-up in Deadpool & Wolverine, and whether the film can revive the MCU’s flagging fortunes. And with the Summer Games in Paris kicking off this week, they’ll also discuss the myriad ways in which the games are trying to keep audiences watching.

Elamin is joined by culture critics Ian Kamau, Sarah-Tai Black, and David Dennis Jr. to react to the latest and reportedly final album from Childish Gambino (aka Donald Glover), and also talk about the longstanding criticisms surrounding him.

Despite Apple spending more than $20 billion on tv and movies, its streaming service gets fewer views in a month than Netflix gets in a day. Vulture TV critic Kathryn VanArendonk looks at why people aren’t tuning in to Apple TV+. And culture critic Laura Sirikul talks about the first K-pop concert that will air live on primetime TV this weekend in the U.S. and Canada.

After Joe Biden dropped out of the race, he gave Kamala Harris his endorsement. But the internet is very familiar with Kamala as a subject of some of the biggest memes in recent memory. Today on the podcast Kamala and the meme campaign. Plus, Mark Strong aka “Strizzzy” and Adrian Bernard aka “Switch B.” chat with Elamin about what it means for breaking to be making its debut as an Olympic sport.

Elamin is joined by film critic Rad Simonpillai and culture critic Anne T. Donahue to discuss ‘Twisters’, the standalone sequel to the original film ‘Twister’ and how this blockbuster follow up fares at a time when real climate change continues to be a hot button topic. Plus, culture critic Amil Niazi talks about Halle Butler’s latest book “Banal Nightmare,” which is getting a lot of buzz for its...

Writers Drew Magary, Marina Fang, and Jason P. Frank join the group chat to discuss how the attempted assassination of Donald Trump and the naming of author J.D. Vance as vice-presidential running mate have reverberated through the world of pop culture this week.

It’s hard to come up with a song that’s been more critically panned than Katy Perry’s latest track 'Women’s World'. And it was supposed to be her big comeback. Elamin is joined by music journalist Reanna Cruz. They are in Los Angeles. And Stereogum's Abby Jones joins the Group Chat for her first time from New York. Plus, author Jen Sookfong Lee unpacks The New York Times’ Best 100 Books of the 21s...

As dozens of authors pull out of contention for the Scotiabank Giller prize – to protest the lead sponsor’s investment in an Israeli arms manufacturer, we ask what the path forward is for this country’s most prestigious literary prize. Former Giller Prize winner and author Omar El Akkad joins Elamin to weigh in.

Hip-hop artists D-Sisive and Ian Kamau, along with music critic Maura Johnston, join Elamin to discuss the pop and rap legacy of Eminem, and the controversial cultural debates the Detroit emcee has sparked over the decades.

What’s the role of late night - and political satirists - at a time like this in American politics? Hershal Pandya and Ashley Ray join guest host Rad Simonpillai. Plus, Abercrombie & Fitch ruled the mall in the 1990s and 2000s, and the clothing retailer was famous for selling an idealized preppy vision of youth. But after falling out of fashion, a complete rebrand has made the fashion retailer...

Film critic Rachel Ho, entertainment reporter Jackson Weaver and media personality Matt Hart join the group chat to talk about the mega-hyped new horror flick Longlegs and whether it is indeed the scariest movie of the year; the disastrous box office performance of Kevin Costner’s historical saga Horizon and what it means for the rest of this would-be franchise; and the controversy surrounding the...