62 episodes

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.

Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud CBC Arts & Entertainment

    • Arts
    • 4.6 • 470 Ratings

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.

    Without corporate title sponsors, can Canada's cultural festivals survive?

    Without corporate title sponsors, can Canada's cultural festivals survive?

    Canadian arts organisations have relied heavily on big companies to be their title sponsors: the Toronto International Film Festival had Bell, Luminato had L'Oréal, and the CONTACT Photography Festival had Scotiabank. But now, more and more of these corporate sponsors are pulling out — and no one is stepping up to fill the gap. Darcy Killeen, the CEO of CONTACT, tells host Elamin Abdelmahmoud about what it was like to lose their lead sponsor, and arts reporter Josh O’Kane explains what’s at stake for the arts in this country amidst a shifting funding landscape.

    • 22 min
    A look back at the history of Freaknik, and examining Israel's entries into Eurovision

    A look back at the history of Freaknik, and examining Israel's entries into Eurovision

    With the release of the new doc Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told, Elamin is joined by veteran Atlanta hip-hop journalists Sonia Murray and David Dennis Jr., for a brief look at the history of one of Atlanta’s most iconic 90s Black street parties. Plus, one of the non-european countries participating in the Eurovision Song Contest this year is Israel, which has sparked debate on its place in the competition, espeically amidst the war in Gaza. Journalist and Eurovision expert Karen Fricker talks about the contest's goal of staying apolitical, and the songs submitted by Israel for the competition: October Rain and Hurricane.

    • 24 min
    Recapping the 2024 Junos — Canada's biggest night in music!

    Recapping the 2024 Junos — Canada's biggest night in music!

    Elamin is joined by artists and culture critics Cadence Weapon, Tristan Grant and Haligonian music journalist Morgan Mullin to react to the 2024 Juno Awards. They'll also unpack Maestro Fresh Wes' induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

    • 25 min
    Netflix’s 3 Body Problem, comedy's man of the moment Ramy Youssef and new horror flick Immaculate

    Netflix’s 3 Body Problem, comedy's man of the moment Ramy Youssef and new horror flick Immaculate

    The Commotion Friday Group Chat convenes to talk about this week’s biggest pop-culture stories, including Netflix’s epic new series 3 Body Problem, brought to you by the creators of Game of Thrones; the new stand-up special from comedy’s man of the moment, Ramy Youssef; and Sydney Sweeney's highly polarizing “nunsploitation flick” Immaculate. Joining Elamin are film critic Radheyan Simonpillai, comedy writer Cassie Cao and culture reporter Leila Latif.

    • 25 min
    BONUS: Are the changes to the Griffin Poetry Prize hurting Canadian poets?

    BONUS: Are the changes to the Griffin Poetry Prize hurting Canadian poets?

    Two Canadian translators have made the longlist for this year's Griffin Poetry Prize. However, among the ten books that are up for the award, none of the writers are Canadian. And there are no Canadian publishers. Paul Vermeersch joins Elamin to react to the news and unpack how recent changes to the prize's criteria might impact the future visibility of Canadian poets on the international stage. It’s also the first year since those changes were implemented that none of the writers up for the award are Canadian. And there are no Canadian publishers nominated either. The longlist, however, did include two Canadian translators.

    • 13 min
    Quiet on Set: how Nickelodeon failed to protect its child actors

    Quiet on Set: how Nickelodeon failed to protect its child actors

    Some say the early 2000’s was a golden age for children’s television. But in the new docuseries Quiet on Set, audiences learn that behind the scenes at Nickelodeon, it was anything but. Culture writer Scaachi Koul and former child actor Michael Seater join host Elamin to discuss the revelations from the docuseries and what it’s really like to make children’s TV.

    • 24 min

Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5
470 Ratings

470 Ratings

katie.267 ,

Awesome 🤩

Everything elamin abdelmahmoud touches turns to gold. He gets the best out of his guests and he’s so personable. He’s CBC’s true Gem 💎

Ciscaandrea ,

My source of pop culture critiques.

Preface: I LOVE THIS SHOW I discovered this show one time I had the radio on and thank goodness that I did. I love Elamin. He feels like a friend talking through the radio. The guests are hilarious and I find myself stifling laughter as I listen on the train. I frequently have not heard or seen what they are talking but they do such a great job of quickly explaining it that I always feel like I understand what’s going on. And when I do know what they’re talking about, the explanations don’t feel cumbersome to the conversation.

liztaylor88 ,

The CBC podcast you’ve been waiting for!

Elamin does an amazing job of explaining pop culture phenomena but also being interesting enough that a super fan will enjoy. I used to love listening to Q (still do sometimes) but this podcast has the brevity and flow I’ve been craving. Let’s just talk about cool things and try to figure out what they mean. I laugh and learn something every episode.

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