Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud cover image

Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud

Latest episodes

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Oct 30, 2024 • 45min

Three critics on the future of the CBC

As calls for the CBC to be defunded get louder, and as a new President and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada gets set to take over in the new year, Elamin sits down with three critics of the CBC - Harrison Lowman, managing editor of The Hub, writer Rupa Subramanya of The Free Press, and freelance writer Sabrina Maddeaux. It's the first in a two-part series on the future of the public broadcaster. On November 1st, you'll hear the other side: why CBC matters and why it should be protected.
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Oct 29, 2024 • 27min

The legacy of Vince Carter, and the backlash to WWE's Bad Blood

With Vince Carter becoming the first Toronto Raptor to have his jersey retired, Elamin is joined by sports reporter Kayla Grey and culture critic Dalton Higgins to assess the impact Vince Carter has had on Toronto and pop culture writ large. Plus, Elamin is joined by culture critic David Dennis Jr. to discuss David’s piece covering the recent fan backlash to the WWE’s lack of Black wrestlers at its Bad Blood event earlier this month.
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Oct 28, 2024 • 25min

Beyonce at the Kamala Harris rally, and a new Martha Stewart documentary

Presidential candidate Kamala Harris pulled off the biggest celebrity endorsement of the election when Beyonce showed up in her hometown of Houston to support the Vice President’s rally on Friday. Culture writer Culture writer CT Jones joins Elamin to talk about how Beyoncé’s appearance went and why campaigns rely heavily on celebrity endorsements. Plus, TV critic Aramide Tinubu and culture writer Bee Quammie weigh on whether the new documentary 'Martha' is another celebrity puff piece disguised as a doc, or whether it’s able to dig deeper beyond Martha’s carefully curated public image.
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Oct 25, 2024 • 28min

Does the Vatican thriller Conclave preach to our times, and Hasan Minhaj's Netflix special

Commotion regulars Teri Hart, Ashley Ray & Syrus Marcus Ware give us their takes on the new Catholic thriller ‘Conclave’ and Hasan Minhaj’s new Netflix special.
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Oct 24, 2024 • 25min

The horror movies haunting our spooky season

Horror fans Amil Niazi, Mel Woods and Matt Hart join guest host Radheyan Simonpillai to talk about what’s scaring them this week, from the box-office topping 'Smile 2' to Quebec indie film 'Red Rooms,' and more.
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Oct 23, 2024 • 26min

Why Andrew Garfield's sincerity is working

Andrew Garfield is promoting his new film 'We Live In Time,' but he seems to be doing something different. Maybe even – unintentional? Whether it’s going on a Chicken Shop Date with Amelia Dimoldenburg, or talking with Elmo about missing his mom, he’s showing up in a way that seems deeply sincere, deeply vulnerable. Or maybe it’s all a brilliant act. We’ll get in to it with culture critics Niko Stratis and Kathleen Newman-Bremang.
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Oct 22, 2024 • 25min

Anora is already an Oscar frontrunner, and Fan Bingbing’s return to acting

Ever since it premiered at Cannes last May, Anora has been the talk of the film world. With the film receiving a wide release this week, critics Kristy Puchko and Peter Knegt explain why this gritty comedy about a New York sex worker and her wealthy Russian suitor has generated such an intense degree of Oscar buzz. Plus, film critic Rachel Ho talks about Fan Bingbing's return to cinema, and why she thinks her latest film 'Green Night,' a film set in South Korea, is proof that Fan Bingbing will never work in China again.
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Oct 21, 2024 • 25min

How The Daily Wire's film Am I Racist? shapes the culture war, and Han Kang's translation

Guest host Ali Hassan is joined by culture critics Barry Hertz and Vinson Cunningham to discuss the rise of Conservative media company The Daily Wire, and what their approach might say about the role politics plays in the type of entertainment we consume. Plus, Han Kang’s recent win of the Nobel Prize in literature has put the spotlight on Korean fiction. Her work has also fueled a debate about literary translations. Ali Hassan speaks with Michelle Cho, an East Asian Studies professor at the University of Toronto, about why there’s a controversy around the English translations of Han Kang’s books, and whether they are faithful to the original text.
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Oct 18, 2024 • 30min

How Liam Payne's death has been covered

Elamin is joined by culture critics Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Syrus Marcus Ware and Joan Summers to reflect on the life of One Direction star Liam Payne, who died at 31. Plus, reactions to Norwegian reporter Kjersti Flaa sharing her past interviews with celebrities like Anne Hathaway and Blake Lively.
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Oct 17, 2024 • 28min

Two Palestinian artists reflect on how the war has affected their art

A year since Israel invaded Gaza, Palestinian artists, writers, filmmakers and poets are working hard to ensure their culture remains strong, despite so much destruction. Elamin chats with author Saeed Teebi and composer and pianist John Kameel Farah about how the war has affected their art.

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