Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud

Commotion guest host Ali Hassan is joined by panelists Kathryn VanArendonk and Ashley Ray to discuss the new season of South Park and comedian/podcaster Marc Maron in the era of Trump and polarizing politics. Plus, Carole V. Bell talks about Canadian Maria Reva’s debut novel Endling, which is on the Booker Prize 2025 longlist.

Days after she turned 18, Canadian-American former child star and influencer Lil Tay said she's launched an OnlyFans account. Internet culture reporter Kat Tenbarge talks with guest host Ali Hassan about the reaction online, and how Lil Tay seems to have built her career on viral stunts. Plus, Ojibway playwright Drew Hayden Taylor discusses an increasingly common conundrum in the world of Indigenous theatre: when a production of an Indigenous story is cancelled because there are no older Indigenous actors available to play the roles.

Commotion guest host Ali Hassan is joined by film/tv critics Rad Simonpillai and Alison Herman to discuss the new tv show 'Alien: Earth' and what the series might add to the iconic sci-fi horror franchise. Journalist Max Read discusses the sudden resurgence of interest in Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros’ 2009 folk-pop hit “Home,” which was recently named The Worst Song Ever in a viral social-media thread, and which serves as a barometer of how what once seemed quaint in the Obama era now feels cringe in the current moment. 

Beauty influencers are now incorporating true crime into their makeup routines. Social media influencers like Bailey Sarian post weekly videos of themselves sharing details of a famous crime case while applying a full face. Amil Niazi and Riley Yesno discuss the trend and what it says about the way people consume true crime. Plus, with the release of the animated series ‘Eyes of Wakanda’ on Disney Plus - Commotion guest host Ali Hassan is joined by culture critic El Jones to discuss this latest installment in the Black Panther superhero franchise, and how it tackles geo-political themes like artifact theft and reclamation.  

Every music critic seems to agree: 2025 has no true song of summer. Last August, Teddy Swims’s “Lose Control” dominated the charts. This year…Teddy Swims’s “Lose Control” dominates the charts. What’s going on? Why is there no new summer song to unite us in collective listening, and will there ever be again?Elamin recently joined Switched on Pop’s Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding to discuss the dearth of seasonal bops, and suggest some possible contenders for sleeper summer hits, from the soundtrack of the anime film KPop Demon Hunters to the latest from the Haim sisters. Despite the moribund status of the Hot 100, there is no shortage of great music to be found in the dog days of summer if you’re willing to listen closely.Switched on Pop is a podcast from Vulture all about the making and meaning of popular music. Musicologist Nate Sloan & songwriter Charlie Harding pull back the curtain on how pop hits work magic on our ears and our culture. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.And for more, check out Commotion’s recent deep dive episode on Justin Bieber’s new album featuring Switched On Pop producer – and frequent Commotion panelist – Reanna Cruz.

Commotion guest host Rad Simonpillai is joined by film and culture critics Jackson Weaver, Rachel Ho and Joyita Sengupta to discuss the horror films ‘Weapons’ and ‘Together’ along with buzzing homegrown movie,‘Shook.’

Recently, the Nelk Boys, a Canadian YouTube duo known for their prank videos, released an interview with Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Hasan PIker, Justin Ling and Alyssa Mercante react to the interview and what it reveals about the current media landscape. 

Theatre critics Glenn Sumi and Joshua Chong talk about the story lighting up Broadway this week -- the casting of Andrew Barth Feldman, a white actor, in the musical Maybe Happy Ending, a Seoul-set comedy about robots finding love at the end of their batteries. Plus, Reanna Cruz talks about Chappell Roan's new single, and about her commitment to speaking out - from everything to the ills of social media to supporting other artists

The Naked Gun is back! Liam Neeson reprises Leslie Neilson’s role in the classic spoof movie and Adam Sandler is back with another Happy Gilmore. Alison Willmore and Adam Nayman join guest host Rad Simonpillai to talk about the summer of the comedy reboot.

Palestinian-Canadian musician John Kameel Farah, Israeli-American culture writer Lux Alptraum, and Vassar College music professor Justin Patch discuss the recent surge of musicians speaking up about the hunger crisis in Gaza, from major pop stars like Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish to rap acts like Bob Vylan and Kneecap, and how the repercussions for speaking out have changed since the war in Gaza began in October 2023.