Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud

More than three decades after his death, Canadian actor and comedy trailblazer John Candy is currently enjoying a renaissance thanks to a new documentary and book about his life and legacy. The book’s author, Paul Myers, joins the Group Chat alongside entertainment reporter Teri Hart and podcaster Vish Khanna to explain why Candy remains such a revered figure in Canadian pop culture. We value...

Elamin Abdelmahmoud talks about new movies out this week with culture critics Sarah-Tai Black, Roxana Hadadi and Jourdain Searles: the horror film Good Boy, starring a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever named Indy, the Channing Tatum led crime comedy Roofman and suspense thriller Lurker starring Quebec actor Théodore Pellerin. We value your input. Fill out our listener questionnaire  here!

One of the bestselling books of the year has to be The Tell by Amy Griffin. It's a memoir about how MDMA-assisted therapy helped her unearth this buried childhood trauma, but a New York Times investigation is now casting doubt on the book. Elamin chats with Nathan Maharaj and Jen Sookfong Lee about the controversy. And MTV cancelled Catfish after 9 seasons. Elamin chats with Candice Lim, co-host I...

Elamin is joined by culture critics Pablo The Don and Michael Blackmon, along with Juno nominated singer Tanika Charles to discuss ‘Here For It All’ - the new album from Mariah Carey, and why she remains one of the most iconic singer/songwriters of our time. Fill out our listener survey here . We appreciate your input! 

There’s a mounting pressure on writers to turn their debut books into bestsellers, but it hasn’t always been this way. The Walrus writer Tajja Isen and author Jen Sookfong Lee join Elamin to talk about how publishers are relying on incomplete data to predict the next big thing, instead of investing in the development of a writer’s craft. Plus, one of the biggest movies of the year is ‘Demon Slayer...

Comedians performing at the Riyadh Comedy Festival are being criticized for selling out to a Saudi regime that is trying to change its image. Alyssa Mercante and Shireen Ahmed join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about Saudi Arabia's soft power, and how it's making inroads into new cultural realms and changing the conversation. Fill out our listener survey here . We appreciate your input! 

Music journalists Emilie Hanskamp, Reanna Cruz, and Suzy Exposito join Elamin Abdelmahmoud in the Group Chat to weigh-in on Taylor Swift’s highly anticipated new album, ‘Life of a Showgirl,’ and the recent announcement of Bad Bunny as the halftime-show performer at next year's Super Bowl. Fill out our listener survey  here . We appreciate your input! 

With the release season 5 of ‘Only Murders In The Building’, the films ‘The Thursday Murder Club’ and ‘Eleanor The Great,’ Elamin is joined by film and tv critics Radheyan Simonpillai and Teri Hart, and screenwriter and show-runner Anthony Q. Farrell to discuss the ways characters who are 60-plus show up in our film and tv programming today, and whether Hollywood is doing a good enough job at port...

Niko Stratis and Rachel Ho join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to share their thoughts on comedian Mae Martin's series Wayward, an unexpectedly dark thriller that is definitely not a comedy. Plus, T'Cha Dunlevy talks about the return of Montreal singer-songwriter Patrick Watson, whose ethereal new album Uh Oh is about losing his voice. Fill out our listener survey here . We'd love to hear from you!

On this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – we talk about an artist who is having a profound impact on the way we understand Canada’s past – and the resilience of Indigenous people. Riley Yesno, Susan Blight and Marion Newman celebrate Kent Monkman, whose gender-fluid alter ego, Miss Chief Eagle Testickle is now the subject of an opera, parts of which will be performed tonight (Sept 3...

The hit narrative podcast Heavyweight by Jonathan Goldstein is back after being cancelled by Spotify a few years ago. Plus, Venus and Serena Williams jump into podcasting with their new show, Stockton Street, available exclusively on X.com. Elamin Abdelmahmoud chats with culture critic Nicholas Quah and author Jael Richardson about what these shows say about where we’re at with podcasting right no...

CBC Entertainment's Jackson Weaver, film critic Radheyan Simonpillai, and poet El Jones join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to discuss Paul Thomas Anderson’s new film 'One Battle After Another,' a prescient action-comedy about a family stuck in a political war, and Apple TV+’s controversial decision to postpone its series 'The Savant.'

Elamin is joined by Kennya Giselle Rivera Sanabria and Reanna Cruz to look back on Bad Bunny’s historic 31 day residency in Puerto Rico (which ended this past Saturday) and what its success might mean for Bad Bunny and Puerto Rico, moving forward. Plus, Elamin is joined by culture critic Matt Amha to discuss the new graphic novel ‘Fela: Music Is The Weapon’ and how Fela Kuti’s legacy intersects wi...

Less than a week after being yanked off the air for comments he made about Charlie Kirk, Jimmy Kimmel is back. But will he be muzzled? TV critic Eric Deggans and comedian Ashley Ray join Elamin to talk about Kimmel's return to late night.

Film critics Radheyan Simonpillai and Sarah-Tai Black join guest host Amil Niazi to talk about the film 'Him,' a Jordan Peele-produced horror film about American football culture, and the new Netflix drama Black Rabbit starring Jason Bateman and Jude Law. Plus, Toronto critic Joshua Chong discusses the Michael Jackson jukebox musical, ‘MJ: The Musical’ (which recently made its Toronto debut)...

Elamin is joined by culture critic Pablo The Don and CBC Music journalist Kelsey Adams to discuss Cardi B’s new album ‘Am I The Drama?’, the rollout in support of its release, and how the album compares to her 2018 debut. Plus, with four big productions of Samuel Beckett’s iconic play 'Waiting For Godot' being mounted within a single year, theatre critic Aisling Murphy joins Elamin to talk about w...

Walt Disney-owned ABC says it will indefinitely stop airing Jimmy Kimmel Live! after remarks the late-night host made in the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination. Elamin Abdelmahmoud talks to CBC Senior Writer Jackson Weaver, TV critic Eric Deggans and culture writer Alyssa Mercante about the role of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in this moment and how it's sparking a debate ove...

'Task,' starring Mark Ruffalo, is HBO’s latest big Sunday night show -- and the gritty drama is by the creator of 'Mare of Easttown,' which became must-watch TV when it aired in the same slot a few years ago. Critics Rachel Ho and Kathryn VanArendonk join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about whether 'Task' lives up to expectations.

The winner of this year's Polaris Music Prize is Yves Jarvis and his album, 'All Cylinders.' Elamin is joined by 2022 Polaris Music Prize winner Cadence Weapon and culture critic Riley Yesno to react to this year’s results and assess the awards’ value as it celebrates its 20th anniversary.

Remembering Robert Redford. The Iconic actor, legendary director, and unparalleled champion of Indie filmmaking has died. Teri Hart describes his contributions to cinema, and how he made the world a better place. Plus, culture critics Thomas Leblanc and Joyita Sengupta join Elamin to talk about SSENSE’s recent financial woes, and how the Montreal brand became a major player in the fashio...

Music journalists Tabassum Siddiqui, Rosie Long Decter, and Suzy Exposito discuss the new documentary, 'Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery,' which explores the groundbreaking legacy of Sarah McLachlan’s '90s-era all-female travelling music festival, and why revisiting its story is particularly meaningful in the current cultural moment.  

Radheyan Simonpillai and Teri Hart join Elamin to talk about Hamnet winning People's Choice, films they think should've gotten more attention, and reaction to the festival as a whole - and whether TIFF might be too celebrity focused. 

The morning after the Emmy Awards, TV critics J. Kelly Nestruck and Roxana Hadadi talk about the big winners and snubs with guest host Amil Niazi. Plus, a new online trend called 'The Great Lock In' is creating buzz on TikTok. It’s a three month commitment to a rigid routine ahead of the New Year following summer’s indulgence and lack of structure. Is this just another glow up trend or a social re...

Music journalist Maura Johnston, culture writer Richie Assaly, and Leila Latif join the Group Chat to talk about the long-awaited sequel to Rob Reiner’s classic rock mockumentary, This Is Spinal Tap; the new album from pop mega-star Ed Sheeran; Justin Bieber’s surprise sequel to his surprise album; and Lizzo’s war on the algorithm. 

Teri Hart and Radheyan Simonpillai join guest host Amil Niazi to talk about some of the performances getting a lot of attention at this year's festival, including Rose Byrne in 'If I Had Legs I'd Kick You,' and Dwayne Johnson in 'The Smashing Machine.' Then, they talk about some of their favourite international films in the line up - 'It Was Just An Accident' and 'No Other Choice.'