Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud

For a lot of us, Instagram just means an endless scroll, with creators competing for our attention with a constant stream of short-form content. But now, it’s experimenting with long form content: videos that run for up to 90 minutes. What’s behind the shift? And does it reflect a growing sense of fatigue with the bite-sized content that dominates our feeds? Culture critics Kate Lindsay and Nicholas Quah join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to explore Instagram’s unexpected turn towards long-form video.

Plus, in a shocking twist even the best fanfic authors couldn’t write, the fan fiction platform Archive Of Our Own, or AO3, is down — and no one knows for how long. Reactions were emotional, to say the least, for the millions of people who access the platform regularly. CBC Books producer Bridget Raymundo sits down with Commotion host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about what we know about the outage, why it came as such a shock to the fan fiction community, and what it could mean for the beloved online space going forward.

There's been an outpouring of tributes for actor Patrick Stewart after he died recently at the age of 86. He commanded the stage and screen, no matter the role, whether it was Macbeth, Jean-Luc Picard, or Professor X. Culture critic Angelica Jade Bastién and Jonathan Church, artistic director of the Stratford Festival, sit down with Elamin Abdelmahmoud to pay tribute to Patrick Stewart's long career in theatre, TV and film.

Plus, the Edmonton-based video game studio BioWare is shutting down. Kawika Guillermo joins Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud to discuss why this happened, how fans are responding, and what it all means for the video game industry in Canada.

'A Court of Shattered Harmony,' the sixth installment in Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses fantasy series, recently dropped and readers around the world flocked to bookstores for the launch. Romantasy reader Riley Yesno and book industry insider Nathan Maharaj join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about how romantasy fans are bringing back the midnight book release party and how it feels like 2007 all over again.

Plus, the new Winnipeg-based comedy series 'Cool Sweepings' is the brainchild of Black Film Space Manitoba, and part of Bell Fibe’s roster of regional community programming. Comedian and content creator Marlon Palmer talks with Elamin Abdelmahmoud about why regional, community-focused shows like 'Cool Sweepings' are an important stepping stone for Canada’s local indie film and tv productions.

Culture writer Niko Stratis, music journalist Emilie Hanskamp, and rapper/author Rollie Pemberton, a.k.a. Cadence Weapon join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to discuss the new album --BLackneck -- from Canadian rap legend k-os, the bracing debut record from Vancouver punk band PISS, and Canada’s five finalists vying for a chance to represent the nation next year at the Eurovision Song Contest in Bulgaria. By the way, Canadians across the country have the chance to choose which of the five artists gets the coveted spot to represent Canada at Eurovision. Voting is open now until November 5. Cast your vote here

The animated voice acting world has lost one of the greats. We learned earlier this week that Eric Bauza died at the age of 46. He was a kid from Scarborough, Ontario who went on to be the modern voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and other iconic Looney Tunes characters. Elamin Abdelmahmoud is joined by Romeo Candido, Jerry Beck and Bryn MacAuley to look back on Eric’s inspiring career. In this conversation, Jerry Beck shares a wonderful story about Eric Bauza performing at an animation conference just before he died. That video will be posted here

Plus, ‘Once Upon A Time In Harlem’ is a new documentary centering on interview footage shot during a 1972 gathering of the last living artists, writers and thinkers of the Harlem Renaissance. Elamin is joined by culture critic and New Yorker Jay Smooth to discuss the documentary and why these conversations captured half a century ago, still matter.