Culture critics Rad Simonpillai and Omar El Akkad unpack Alex Garland’s new film "Civil War."

In the wake of O.J. Simpson's death last week, writers David Dennis Jr., Jael Richardson, and Eric Harvey reflect on how O.J.'s murder trial in 1995 pushed conversations about race, privilege, domestic violence, and narcissism into the national spotlight, and how the unprecedented media hysteria over the trial set the table for the TMZ-driven, true-crime, reality-TV-obsessed world that we're living in now.

Elamin is joined by Commotion regular Matt Hart and comedian Ali Hassan to talk about how the chaotic, unapologetically crude, and competitive stand-up showcase "Kill Tony" became one of the most popular comedy podcasts in North America. Plus, Josie Riesman explains why Vera Drew’s "The People’s Joker" is the most compelling take on one of the most iconic villains in cinema.

For this week's group chat, Elamin Abdelmahmoud sits down with culture critics Niko Stratis, Rad Simonpillai, and Pablo,The Don. They respond to news of O.J. Simpson's death. Plus, they review the shows, "Fallout" and "Ripley" and talk about the backlash J.Cole is receiving after apologizing for a diss track he wrote about Kendrick Lamar.

After a disastrous interview with the BBC in 2019 about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, Prince Andrew stepped away from royal duties and public life. The story behind how that interview came to be is the focus of “Scoop” on Netflix. Elamin speaks with UK film critic Hanna Flint and royal watcher Ellie Hall about the enduring desire to see the Royals portrayed on-screen. Plus, Elamin is joined by technology reporter Cade Metz to talk about The New York Times investigation into the length big companies like Google, Meta and Open AI are going to in order to develop the smartest artificial intelligence models.

It's been just over 6 months since Hamas attacked Israeli civilians, which led to the war in Gaza. Elamin speaks with Mosab Abu Toha - a Palestinian poet whose home in Gaza was destroyed - to talk about how he and other artists are able to keep creating in the face of destruction. Mosab Abu Toha recently wrote an essay for The New Yorker about his harrowing journey out of Gaza.

Elamin is joined by culture writer Niko Stratis and Delia Cai to talk about Delia's pop up blog, Hate Read (which invites critics to write anonymous reviews of art they hate). Plus, Small Press Distribution suddenly closes up shop, leaving hundreds of independent publishers in the lurch. Jane Friedman unpacks what happened and how the world of small press is struggling in the aftermath.

Elamin is joined by wrestling fans Damian Abraham (of the band F*cked Up) and culture critic Pablo,The Don to discuss highlights of WrestleMania 40, and also the state of the franchise, given its new deal with Netflix and the controversy surrounding its former CEO Vince McMahon.

For this week's group chat, Elamin Abdelmahmoud sits down with Sarah-Tai Black, Rad Simonpillai and Jackson Weaver to talk about Dev Patel's new action movie Monkey Man, which he wrote, directed and stars in, and comedian Jerrod Carmichael’s surreal, intimate new reality show.

This week marks the 30th anniversary of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain’s death by suicide. Since that moment, Kurt's legacy has evolved in fascinating ways. Nirvana biographer Michael Azerrad and music journalist Suzy Exposito discuss how Cobain continues to shape music and pop culture today. Plus, La Presse journalist Dominic Tardif tells you about the day he spent with Quebec theatre giant Robert Lepage talking about his passion for wrestling, and his new exhibit.

When Jonathan Glazer accepted his Oscar for "The Zone of Interest," he used that moment to take a stance on what's happening in Gaza. That speech prompted hundreds of Jewish creatives in Hollywood to sign an open letter, criticizing his speech. Elamin speaks with three Jewish creators — writer Emily Tamkin, musician Josh Dolgin (a.k.a. Socalled), and comedian Jess Salomon — about how they’re navigating their work amid deep divisions within the Jewish community.

With the release of Beyoncé's latest album and first country project, "Cowboy Carter," music journalists Andrea Williams and David Dennis Jr. as well as comedian Ashley Ray join host Elamin to discuss the release — and what it might say about the future of Black country music.

Not only is the series The Chosen and the film Cabrini hits at the box office, Martin Scorcese is making a movie about Jesus. What's more, Mel Gibson is working on a ‘Passion of the Christ’ sequel. So, what happens when you mine the Bible for entertainment? The group chat weighs in on this moment of Christianity and pop culture.

Halifax is renowned for its vibrant cultural scene, but it’s getting harder to make a living — and artists are having to move farther afield just to stay afloat. Musicians Maggie Andrew and Adam Baldwin, comedian Aba Amuquandoh and filmmaker Tara Thorne join Elamin at the Commotion table in Halifax to talk about what the capital of Nova Scotia has to offer artists today, and what’s at stake when artists can’t make ends meet there.

For the last couple of years, journalist Fortesa Latifi has been reporting on the stories of the grown up children of parenting influencers. Her article and Cosmopolitan's documentary about it offer a startling look behind the camera — and how some sharenters are addressing the criticism or making the decision to stop using their children in content creation. Plus, CBC producer Lise Hosein pays tribute to the late American sculptor Richard Serra — who died this past Tuesday at the age of 85 — by giving her first-person account of visiting one of his more obscure site-specific works, Shift, located on a private farm north of Toronto.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.