Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud

Coming into 2025, the phrases '6-7,' 'Italian brainrot,' 'Coldplay kiss-cam' and 'astronaut Katy Perry' were not commonly used expressions, but thanks to the unpredictable tides of pop culture, they have become permanent parts of a shared lexicon. On this episode of Commotion, writers Amil Niazi, Niko Stratis, and Jackson Weaver reflect on the most memorable pop-cultural moments of 2025 – some of which, we’d rather forget. 

The phrase 'girl power' was coined by Bikini Kill in the early 1990s, but its meaning was watered down later in the decade when angry radical women in music were followed by younger, less opinionated pop stars.Sophie Gilbert dives into 1990s and 2000s pop culture in her latest book, Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves, to figure out what happened.

Culture writer Rebecca Jennings, tech/public-policy expert Vass Bednar, and media-studies professor Siva Vaidhyanathan discuss how shrinking attention spans in the social-media age are impacting the way that literature, film, and music are produced and consumed. 

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.

For almost 20 years, NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts have given the internet a chance to see some of the biggest artists and promising upcoming talents in an incredibly intimate, live setting that has made for unforgettable moments. At the same time, the series has become a crucial and trusted hub for Black pop music. At the inaugural Departures festival in Toronto, Elamin sat down with Bobby Carter, the host and series producer for NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts.

This year, on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the group chat gathered to talk about Kent Monkman, Kent Monkman is having a profound impact on the way we understand Canada’s past – and the histories of Indigenous peoples.  Riley Yesno, Susan Blight and Marion Newman celebrated Kent Monkman, whose gender-fluid alter ego, Miss Chief Eagle Testickle is now the subject of an opera in development. They spoke with Elamin around the time parts of that opera were being performed in Montreal.  

Elamin is joined by film critics Jesse Wente, Sarah-Ta Black & Jackson Weaver to discuss ‘Avatar: Fire & Ash’ - the latest installment in James Cameron’s sci-action blockbuster franchise and react to Disney’s new agreement with OpenAI that will give the public access to some of Disney’s most beloved characters via OpenAI’s popular Sora app.

Pretty much every best-of-2025 music list of note has featured Brooklyn band Geese’s third album, Getting Killed, at or near the top – a remarkable feat for an indie rock band whose members are still in their early 20s, and whose music is wilfully idiosyncratic, if not downright polarizing. Music journalist Emilie Hanskamp explains how Geese took the music world by storm this year, while CBC’s Lisa Christiansen explains why she just doesn't get the hype. Plus, ‘Tis the season of the Christmas album - a wildly oversaturated market that keeps on getting more crowded. Emilie Hanskamp and CBC Music’s Natalie Harmsen dig into what’s new and what remains a classic after all this time.

Today, we remember Rob Reiner’s amazing Hollywood legacy, and a look back at some of the shows and films that may have flown under your radar. Elamin Abdelmahmoud chats with critics Roxana Hadadi, Rachel Ho, and Radheyan Simonpillai about their favourite Rob Reiner movies, and the best things they watched this year that didn’t get enough love.

Michael Healey’s new play 'Rogers V. Rogers: The Battle for Control Over Canada's Telecom Empire,' reveals a lot about the power structures that exist inside Canada. Elamin talks to journalist and author Paul Wells and The Globe and Mail’s Aisling Murphy about the success of the show, and how a story about a dysfunctional family and a corporate struggle make for perfect theatre.