The fourth season of True Detective premiered on Sunday, and critics are raving about it. TV critics Kathryn VanArendonk and Jackson Weaver talk about leading performances by Jodie Foster and newcomer Kali Reis and the storytelling prowess of showrunner Issa Lopez. Plus, South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun died by apparent suicide late last year, following a highly publicized investigation into alleged drug use. Korean pop culture expert Michelle Cho explains why South Korea’s top artists are calling for an examination of the police and the media’s treatment of his case.

Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud

Calling all True Detectives, and South Korean artists remember Lee Sun-kyun

The new Mean Girls movie musical comes out today. Culture critics Sarah-Tai Black, Niko Stratis & Cassie Cao join Elamin to review the latest adaptation of the classic teen movie. Plus, they unpack the backlash to the controversial New York Times op-ed that speculates on Taylor Swift’s sexuality.

Is the new Mean Girls movie musical finally making fetch happen?

Commotion is proud to announce the most highly anticipated reading list of the year. Elamin will reveal the five Canadian celebrities and the five books they'll be championing, and give each panelist a thirty second preview of what's to come.

Book lovers, rejoice — it's time for Canada Reads!

Almost a decade after his presidency, Barack Obama is still a cultural force. Jennifer Zhan and Eric Deggans get into Obama’s lasting cultural relevance — and why artists may not want to be on his year-end lists. Plus, are Canadians being left off of best-of lists? Music journalist and author Michael Barclay offers some theories as to why Canadian music may have fallen off on the international stage.

How did Barack Obama become a tastemaker?

Did Steve Harvey and Cedric the Entertainer steal jokes? Katt Williams seems to think so. Comedian and podcast host Ashley Ray joins Elamin for a special episode of Commotion, where the pair dive into the explosive comments Williams made during a recent interview on the Club Shay Shay podcast.

BONUS: Why is Katt Williams dragging these high profile Black comedians?

Argylle, a highly-anticipated spy thriller novel by debut author Elly Conway, is out today — and fans speculate that Taylor Swift might actually be behind it. Elamin chats with author Heather Marshall and professor Elly McCausland about the role fandoms play in publicity. Plus, theatre critic Aisling Murphy explains the controversy surrounding a cancelled staging of the award-winning play The Runner, about violence in the middle east, in B.C.

Argylle's mystery author, and The Runner's cancellation

Entertainment reporter Teri Hart checks in with a morning-after recap of the highlights and surprises from the 81st Golden Globe Awards, the first to be held since the dissolution of its scandal-plagued organizing body the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Plus, music journalist Maura Johnston and Vulture’s Switched On Pop podcast producer Reanna Cruz tell us about the big albums and dominant trends we can expect from the world of pop music in 2024.

Golden Globes highlights, and music we're looking forward to this year

The Golden Globes are this Sunday, which means awards season is finally here! After a year of blockbuster films and Hollywood strikes, Elamin chats with comedians/podcasters Ashley Ray and Trevor Campbell, and film critic Kristy Puchko about who they think deserves a golden statue. Plus, the Friday Group Chat gives us their takes on Dan Levy’s directorial debut, Good Grief, following his mega-hit series Schitt’s Creek.

Good Grief, the Golden Globes are here!

With a new year comes new books! Writers Jen Sookfong Lee, Makda Mulatu and Tajja Isen join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about the titles they're looking forward to reading this year. They also discuss the technologies and trends shaping what gets published, and why so many books never make it to the readers who might love them.

What books does 2024 have in store?

Kliph Nesteroff joins host Elamin Abdelmahmoud for a chat about his new book, Outrageous: A History of Showbiz and the Culture Wars. The Canadian comic and comedy historian shares what the past can tell us about current tensions around free speech and cancel culture.

Why cancel culture in comedy is nothing new

Culture critics and friends of the show Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Sarah-Tai Black and Rad Simonpillai join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to discuss the biggest films that came out over the holidays, The Color Purple and Ferrari, and look ahead to the films they're excited to watch in 2024.

The Color Purple, Ferrari and this year's film forecast

TV in 2023 had some clear highs, like The White Lotus and Succession, but the season took a turn when Hollywood's writers and actors went on strike. With the labour dispute now behind us, what does 2024 have in store for viewers? Culture critics Kathryn VanArendonk, Chris Murphy and Mel Woods join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to kick off the new year with a look at what's coming to the small screen.

The TV we're excited to watch in 2024

In the world of arts and pop culture, who are the winners and losers of 2023? Culture thinkers Niko Stratis, Amil Niazi and Matt Hart join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud for a special edition of Commotion, recorded in front of a live audience in Toronto's Glenn Gould Studio as part of the CBC's annual food drive, Sounds of the Season.

The winners and losers of 2023

Today on Commotion, we pay tribute to some of the big musical icons we lost in 2023 — Gordon Lightfoot, Tina Turner, Sinéad O'Connor and Robbie Robertson — by revisiting the conversations we had this year with the people who knew them, and devout fans who had their lives changed by their music.

The musicians we lost this year

Up next in Commotion's celebration of hip-hop's 50th anniversary is hip-hop’s growing influence in South Korea. Haekyung Um, a music professor at the University of Liverpool, takes us on a tour of rap history in the region with a special playlist featuring Suga, Yoon Mirae, Verbal Jint and more. Plus, journalist Deirdre Kelly talks about her book Fashioning The Beatles, and why The Fab Four’s sense of style was important to their success and influence as their music.

Hip-hop at 50: South Korea's booming music market

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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Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud

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