Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud CBC Arts & Entertainment
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- Arts
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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.
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Did Kendrick win the beef? And Seinfeld says the 'extreme left' killed comedy
Commotion regulars Dalton Higgins and David Dennis Jr. join Elamin with reaction to Kendrick Lamar’s latest diss response to Drake - ‘Euphoria’ - and the criticisms the track lobs at Drake and his credibility. Plus, Jerry Seinfeld turned 70 this week, and he's blaming wokeness for the death of comedy and bemoaning the end of the movie business, just as he releases a new film. Comedian Ali Hassan talks about why curmudgeonly Jerry is having a moment, and why he might be wrong.
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MAILBAG: The Tortured Poets Department and this moment in Taylor Swift
For Commotion's inaugural mailbag episode, host Elamin Abdelmahmoud sits down with fellow Swifties Emma Godmere and Amelia Eqbal to answer questions from listeners about everything we've learned after listening to The Tortured Poets Department on repeat for a week, and what the album says about this moment in time for the current biggest artist in the world.
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What happens to TikTok now? And the new Bon Jovi docu-series
Elamin is joined by music critics Niko Stratis and Maura Johnston to talk about the new docu-series "Thank you, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story," and whether it does justice to the band's legacy. Plus, Elamin speaks with culture writer Ana Diaz of Polygon about the so-called Tik Tok “ban” and what it means for the future of the hugely popular app.
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Why Burton Cummings is trying to stop his old band from playing his songs
Elamin sits down with Burton Cummings, the former frontman of The Guess Who, to talk about the legal action he's taking against his old band. It's aimed at preventing the current version of The Guess Who from performing the classic songs that Burton wrote while they're out on the road. Burton Cummings explains why he's taking these unprecended measures. Plus, last week the Writers Guild of Canada voted in favour of striking should its current negotiations for a new labour deal with Canadian film studios and distributors hit a stalemate. Elamin speaks with screenwriter Anthony Q. Farrell to find out what’s at stake in these negotiations.
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Why people can't stop thinking about Baby Reindeer, and the plight of Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi
Stand-up comedians Ashley Ray and James Mullinger talk about the hit Netflix show Baby Reindeer, which is based on star Richard Gadd's real experiences of being stalked early in his career. Plus, Samira Mohyeddin shares the powerful story of Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi, who was recently sentenced to death by the Iranian regime.
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Weinstein's court win, and Zendaya's moment in Challengers
Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Jackson Weaver, and Hanna Flint respond to news that Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction was overturned by a New York appeals court and what that says about the #MeToo movement today. They also discuss the moment Zendaya is having with her brand new film Challengers.
Customer Reviews
Such a good person/host and show
El Amin’s big heart, passion, insight, deep care, great rapport, all make this show just absolutely bangin’. I love it. One of the few cbc shows I will Always catch up on podcasts if I miss it live. Love this dude, and all the guests and convos.
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 💎
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.