Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud

It's not often you have this kind of Cinderella story in the Canadian book world. Carley Fortune's debut novel came out in 2022. Since then, she's written four more romances and all five are bestsellers. Now her debut novel is a tv series on Prime Video. Romance fans CT Jones and Jessica Sorrentino chat with Elamin Abdelmahmoud about 'Every Year After' and how the setting of Ontario's cottage country is just as important as the love story.

Plus, Anderson .Paak’s debut feature film as a director, K-Pops!, honours both his own Korean heritage and his son’s love for K-pop. The film, starring both him and his son, takes place on the set of a reality show in Seoul where teenage singers are competing to debut as K-pop idols. Khadija Morong, from the YouTube channel K-pop with Khadija, shares all her thoughts on the movie and soundtrack with Commotion host Elamin Abdelmahmoud.

Culture critic Jay Smooth joins Elamin to discuss two new docs that are out. First, HBO's Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs That's the Weight of the World) - plus he unpacks the new Netflix docuseries, Michael Jackson: The Verdict.

Plus, the Golden State Warriors' Steph Curry announced a new 10-year endorsement deal with Chinese sportswear giant Li-Ning. While he’s not the first American athlete to partner with a Chinese company, he is the most prominent player to date to do it. Journalist and sneaker expert Aaron Dodson talks to Elamin about Curry’s new deal, and how footwear continues to shift the culture at the NBA.

An unauthorized musical parody of Heated Rivalry is taking the theatre world by storm. Theatre critic Juan Ramirez and Canadian musical theatre actor Mitch Wood join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to explain why it’s such a smash success, and they’ll weigh in on the Tony Awards – the morning after they’re handed out.

Plus, Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans are mourning the passing of British actor Anthony Head, who played Rupert Giles on the hit teen series from 1997-2003. Writer Hanna Flint – author of The Unofficial Buffy the Vampire Slayer Quiz Book – explains why Anthony Head became a favourite among Buffy fans, and how other memorable roles on ‘Ted Lasso’ and ‘Little Britain’ made him one of the UK’s premier character actors.

An unauthorized musical parody of Heated Rivalry is taking the theatre world by storm. Theatre critic Juan Ramirez and Canadian musical theatre actor Mitch Wood join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to explain why it’s such a smash success … and they’ll weigh in on the Tony Awards – the morning after they’re handed out.

Plus, Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans are mourning the passing of British actor Anthony Head, who played Rupert Giles on the hit teen series from 1997-2003. Writer Hanna Flint – author of The Unofficial Buffy the Vampire Slayer Quiz Book – explains why Anthony Head became a favourite among Buffy fans, and how other memorable roles on ‘Ted Lasso’ and ‘Little Britain’ made him one of the UK’s premier character actors.

Film critics Corey Atad, Kaiya Shunyata, and Hanna Flint join the Group Chat to talk about the remarkable success of the low-budget horror movie ‘Obsession’ (which recently became the first film since E.T. to see its box office numbers rise week-over-week in its first three weeks), and how a new generation of YouTube-reared filmmakers are changing the Hollywood game. The panel will also discuss Apple TV+’s new reboot of the classic thriller ‘Cape Fear’ and the Carney government’s recent directive to have Canada’s broadcast regulator revisit a plan that would force US streaming services to invest 15 per cent of its Canadian revenues in Canadian film and TV production.