

Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud
CBC
Big laughs. Smart takes. Every day. Commotion is where you go for thoughtful and vibrant conversations about all things pop culture. Host Elamin Abdelmahmoud calls on journalists, critics, creators and friends to talk through the biggest arts & entertainment stories of the day, in 30 minutes or less.Subscribe to Sounds Good: CBC's Podcasts newsletter for the finest podcast recommendations and behind-the-scenes exclusives.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 31, 2024 • 25min
How streaming and TikTok have changed the Olympics
Mel Woods, a culture writer exploring media's impact on events, and Morgan Campbell, who analyzes sports media evolution, dive into the evolving landscape of the Olympics. They discuss how streaming and TikTok have transformed athlete visibility and fan engagement, making the Games more personal and interactive. The duo highlights the humorous side of athletes' social media journeys and reflects on how these changes challenge traditional broadcasting. They also explore the implications for future sports viewing experiences and sponsorship opportunities.

Jul 30, 2024 • 15min
Commotion Introduces | Olympic FOMO: Canada's Golden Girls
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

Jul 30, 2024 • 27min
NewJeans, Hybe, and the battle at the heart of K-pop, and Rema's new album HEIS
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 talks about why this album is significant not only for the artist, but also for upholding African heritage and Rema's musical legacy.

Jul 29, 2024 • 25min
How Miranda July's All Fours became the book of the summer, and College Football 25
'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, and the hype surrounding its latest game in the series has been intense. Gamer Camille Salazar Hadaway joins Elamin to discuss the buzz behind the hard-hitting and surreal EA College Football 25.

Jul 26, 2024 • 27min
Can Deadpool and Wolverine end the Marvel slump? And the return of the Olympics
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.

Jul 25, 2024 • 25min
Childish Gambino's new album, and a look at Donald Glover's career
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.

Jul 24, 2024 • 25min
Apple's streaming service has the best shows, why is no one watching? And K-pop goes primetime
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.

Jul 23, 2024 • 25min
Kamala Harris and the meme campaign, and breakdancing at the Olympics
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.

Jul 22, 2024 • 27min
Twisters makes Glen Powell a star, and the millennial midlife crisis
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 depiction of millennial midlife.

Jul 19, 2024 • 31min
The photo of Trump’s assassination attempt, in pop culture and memes
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.