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Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud

CBC
Taylor Swift
Civil War
True Crime
Ruth Patir
Small Press Distribution (SPD)
Publishing Industry
Superhero Cinema
Tony Hinchcliffe
Stand-Up Comedy
Vera Drew
Toronto International Film Festival
Kill Tony
The People's Joker
Comedy Industry
Venice Biennale
Gaza Conflict
The Tortured Poets Department
The Tortured Poets Department, the Anthology
Shōgun
Wrestlemania 40

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 be... more

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Artwork for Commotion

Latest Episodes

Last fall, Alberta’s education minister ordered schools across the province to remove books containing explicit depictions of a sexual act from their libraries and classrooms. Over 150 titles have been removed from shelves, including the graphic nove... more

At the end of last year, several prominent artists lost millions of streams from the Spotify bot crackdown including Doechii, Davido and BTS' Jimin. The move has sparked conversations online around the impact of artificial intelligence and inflated s... more

Almost half of the Toronto Film Critics Association's members have resigned after it was revealed that actor Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers’ recent acceptance speech was edited to remove her support for Palestine. Canadian Press reporter Alex Nino Gheciu te... more

Harry Styles’ ‘Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally’ and BLACKPINK’s ‘Deadline’ are beckoning us back to the club with two very different takes on dance music. Culture critics Lucy Ford, Louise Bruton, and Michelle Cho share their thoughts with Ela... more

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Recent Guests

Hanna Flint
Film critic and co-host of Fade to Black
Fade to Black (podcast)
Episode: Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers returns her Toronto film critics award, and Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride!
Alex Nino Gheciu
Reporter covering the TFCA story for the Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Episode: Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers returns her Toronto film critics award, and Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride!
Kayleigh Donaldson
Pop culture writer, creator of Gossip Reading Club
Gossip Reading Club
Episode: Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers returns her Toronto film critics award, and Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride!
Craig Big C Mannix
Music industry insider
Canadian hip hop scene
Episode: How 'Rap Essentials' changed Canadian hip hop, and why we can't stop watching Friends Keep Secrets
Fran Hoepfner
Senior newswriter with Vulture
Vulture
Episode: How 'Rap Essentials' changed Canadian hip hop, and why we can't stop watching Friends Keep Secrets
Stephanie Domet
Novelist; Halifax literary festival organizer (Afterwards Literary Festival)
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Episode: Nova Scotia's proposed arts cuts hit deep, and Scream 7
Michelle Jobin
TV host and producer and writer, F1 enthusiast
CTV/NBA? (context from episode)
Episode: A new Bruno Mars album, and F1's Drive to Survive is back
Chris Murphy
Staff writer at Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair
Episode: Industry S4 finale, and why are Canadian films struggling in theatres?
Omar Zaheer
Former Survivor contestant
Survivor
Episode: 50 seasons of Survivor

Hosts

Elamin Abdelmahmoud
Host of Commotion, known for insightful commentary and facilitating vibrant conversations around pop culture.
Amil Niazi
Sitting in for Elamin Abdelmahmoud on several occasions, contributing to discussions on pop culture and current events.

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 1.1k ratings
  • My favourite podcast

    The conversations are thoughtful and challenges me to check out works of art that I wouldn’t have been aware of. Also, there are moments of pure joy in the episodes (eg I kept on listening to the interview between Elamin and Samantha Irby)

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Christine Sonja
    Canada3 months ago
  • A must listen!

    This is my go-to pop culture podcast and I never miss an episode. It's wide-ranging, thoughtful, thought provoking, smart, fun and often laugh out loud funny, deeply insightful... I could go on and on. This show has the best topics and often introduces listeners to interesting people and art that don't get attention elsewhere. It has a fantastic rotation of guest panelists who provide excellent commentary and debate (one of my favourites is Teri Hart, a deeply insightful film critic.) Elamin def... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Binaaaaaaaah
    Canada3 months ago
  • give us an hour!

    I love Elamin and the ways he facilitates smart and thoughtful conversations on pop culture. Please CBC, give Elamin and friends a full hour!!!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    smalltinytiny
    Canada3 months ago
  • Excellent show!

    The show is the best! Thoughtful, interesting, helps makes sense of our cultural moment. And Elamin is such a gifted host! Highly recommend!!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    WilliamFrancis
    Canada3 months ago
  • Happy to listen daily

    In a landscape filled with negativity and disturbing news, Commotion stands out for being fun, entertaining and culturally educational. It helps me stay connected to mainstream culture and I even have a few laughs while listening.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Resistthem
    Canada3 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Many appreciate the blend of humor and serious discussion, making for both entertaining and educational listening experiences.
Reviewers highlight the diversity of guest perspectives and the quality of commentary from the host.
Listeners praise the podcast for its engaging and thought-provoking dialogues about pop culture.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Spotify is cracking down on AI streams, and the unexpected joy of Angine de poitrine
Q: Take us to school here. Just basically explain what is an artificial stream?
An artificial stream is a non-genuine, automated or manipulated play count produced by bots, scripts, or farming setups that inflate listening figures without real listener intent, undermining the integrity of streaming metrics.
Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers returns her Toronto film critics award, and Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride!
Q: Can you explain what led Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers to return the award and what was edited out of her acceptance speech?
Tailfeathers released a statement describing the editing as censorship and noted that a portion expressing solidarity with Palestine—characterized as saying her heart is with them amid ongoing genocide—had been removed, which she felt tainted the speech and the broader discourse around artistic speech.
Industry S4 finale, and why are Canadian films struggling in theatres?
Q: Roxana, how do you interpret the tension between the show's critique of capitalism and the characters' personal ambitions, especially in the finale's most controversial scenes?
The show uses complex, despicable protagonists to explore how power and money corrupt, while also delving into traumas and motivations that make these characters compelling; this tension creates a dramatic magnetism that invites viewers to examine their own reactions to morally gray behavior.
Industry S4 finale, and why are Canadian films struggling in theatres?
Q: Barry, what is your reaction to Telefilm Canada's report about a 41% decline in Canadian films at the box office, and what might be driving this trend?
The drop is troubling but not entirely surprising given historically low engagement with Canadian cinema; factors include limited awareness, marketing gaps, and the challenge of competing with U.S. Hollywood releases, with marketing and promotion identified as key bottlenecks for driving audience turnout.
Industry S4 finale, and why are Canadian films struggling in theatres?
Q: Chris, what was on the line in the finale? And what's your reaction to how we resolved everything in this finale?
Everything was on the line, with the finale pivoting from financial plotlines to the relationships between characters, culminating in decisive choices that push the characters toward hard, irreversible paths; the resolution was emotionally charged and left room for exploration in a potential final season.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Commotion

What is Commotion about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This podcast offers engaging and insightful conversations focused on various aspects of contemporary pop culture, including film, music, television, and societal issues. Each episode typically features a mix of journalists, critics, and creators, who provide diverse perspectives on trending topics and cultural narratives, often with a humorous touch. Noteworthy episodes tackle significant controversies, artistic works, and the social dynamics behind popular entertainment, making it a space where listeners can not only laugh but also reflect on deeper cultural matters.

Unique in its approach, this podcast embraces both a Canadian perspective and a broad range of cultural influences, ensuring that discussions remain fresh and relevant. With ... more

Where can I find podcast stats for Commotion?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Commotion. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Commotion and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Commotion get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for Commotion, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for Commotion?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Commotion, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does Commotion have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Commotion has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Commotion?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Commotion:

1. Front Burner
2. Q with Tom Power
3. The Current
4. Ideas
5. Because News

How many episodes of Commotion are there?

Commotion launched 6 years ago and published 531 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Commotion?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Commotion?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Commotion from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

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What guests have appeared on Commotion?

Recent guests on Commotion include:

1. Hanna Flint
2. Alex Nino Gheciu
3. Kayleigh Donaldson
4. Craig Big C Mannix
5. Fran Hoepfner
6. Stephanie Domet
7. Michelle Jobin
8. Chris Murphy

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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