

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

Nov 13, 2024 • 25min
What the Grammy nominations tell us about pop music right now, and the Megan Thee Stallion documentary
Elamin is joined by music and culture critics Pablo The Don, Reanna Cruz and Andrea Williams to discuss this year’s Grammy nominations and the new doc ‘Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words'

Nov 12, 2024 • 25min
Heretic gives us a sinister Hugh Grant, and Somebody Somewhere's final season
Heretic is a part of a new slate of films where organized religion is the setting for a thriller. Entertainment reporter Teri Hart and podcaster Ashley Ray join guest host Rad Simonpillai to weigh in whether it works. And Sarah-Tai Black talks about the quietly comedic portrayal of small towns, grief and found family in Somebody Somewhere.

Nov 11, 2024 • 20min
Filmmaker Steve McQueen tackles race and class in World War II film Blitz
Film critics Rad Simonpillai, Jackson Weaver and Hanna Flint join Elamin to talk about Steve McQueen’s new World War II film Blitz, and how our remembrance of war is shaped by cinema.

Nov 8, 2024 • 25min
What Yellowstone tells us about America right now
As Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone returns with new episodes, culture critics Johnnie Jae, Karolina Waclawiak and Brooks Barnes discuss how it reflects American politics and why it speaks to viewers on different sides of the political spectrum.

Nov 7, 2024 • 25min
Tyler the Creator at the top of his game, and My Dead Mom
Culture critic/podcaster Pablo the Don and rapper Rollie Pemberton – a.k.a. Cadence Weapon – weigh in on the new album from Tyler the Creator, Chromakopia, and his ongoing transformation from rap’s resident enfant terrible to one of its most esteemed auteurs. Plus, entertainment reporter Teri Hart talks about the new show 'My Dead Mom,' and how it explores grief through comedy.

Nov 6, 2024 • 26min
What Trump's win says about pop culture's role in Presidential races
Elamin is joined by Pablo The Don, Scaachi Koul and Radheyan Simonpillai to look back at the role social media culture and celebrity endorsements played in the U.S. election, and does it need to change..

Nov 5, 2024 • 24min
The brilliance of Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones is widely understood as one of the greatest -- if not the greatest -- music producer of all time. He died this week at 91. Jones built a vast and legendary musical legacy, producing hits from Aretha Franklin to Ella Fitzgerald to Ray Charles to Michael Jackson. He also helped create beloved television shows like MadTV and the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. We spend time celebrating the late, great Quincy Jones.

Nov 4, 2024 • 26min
Kamala Harris on SNL, Tom Hanks's new film Here and the Hallmark Christmas movie season has started
Culture critics Teri Hart, Amil Niazi and Anne T. Donahue discuss this week’s big headlines from the world of film and television, including Robert Zemeckis’ Here, which reunites his Forrest Gump dream team of Tom Hanks and Robin Wright; and Hallmark launching a new reality show to cast its next Christmas movie star amid accusations of ageism leveled at the network.

Nov 1, 2024 • 41min
Three CBC defenders respond to calls to defund the CBC
Part two in our series on the future of the CBC. We’ve heard the case for defunding the public broadcaster, today we make space for why it matters. Max Fawcett, Nana Aba Duncan and Jonathan Torrens argue that it’s a vital asset that should be nurtured and publicly funded, now more than ever.

Oct 31, 2024 • 25min
Tony Hinchcliffe and mixing comedy and politics, and Indigenous horror
After the comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made offensive jokes about Puerto Rico at a Trump rally, artists reacted in anger and it became a rallying cry. Elamin chats with Hershal Pandya, comedy reporter for Vulture, and Raquel Reichard, deputy director of Refinery 29 Somos about comedy’s role in this year’s US election. Plus, Waubgeshig Rice joins Elamin to talk about contributing to the book Zeegajimo, a horror anthology with stories by all Indigenous writers and edited by Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm and Nathan Niigan Noodin Adler.


