Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud

Angine de Poitrine is the winner of this year's Polaris Music Prize. The polka-dotted duo took home the 30-thousand dollar best-album prize at last night’s gala in Toronto. The annual award is given to the best Canadian album of the year as selected by more than 200 music journalists and broadcasters, and it's based solely on artistic merit. Angine de Poitrine also won the 10-thousand dollar best-song prize for 'Fabienk.' Music journalist Emilie Hanskamp joins Elamin to talk about the win, who she was rooting for, and to weigh in on how Canadian music has changed over the years.

Plus, it almost feels like an understatement to say that Heated Rivalry and Off Campus exploded the sports romance genre on TV. Now, a new show about a queer softball beer league called Slo Pitch is putting a comedic spin on playing the field. But is the series a home run? Culture critic Riley Yesno and journalist Allie Graham stop by Commotion to give Elamin their reviews of Crave's Slo Pitch.

Neil Peart is arguably one of the greatest drummers of all time. And now, a new documentary about the legendary Rush drummer and lyricist is coming to CBC Gem. Drummer Marek Tyler and music journalist Maura Johnston join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about 'Neil Peart: No One’s Disciple,' and how it captures Peart and his legacy. Plus, Ed Sheeran returned to the stage for the first time since the Macklemore controversy. Culture critic David Dennis Jr. unpacks what happened at the show and the reaction from his fans and critics.

The Toronto International Film Festival is over for another year. But some of the biggest films out this fall aren’t coming out on the festival circuit. Teri Hart and Radheyan Simonpillai get into why that is, and look back at the highlights, award winners, and controversies that made this year’s TIFF what it was.

Culture writer Mel Woods, author/rapper Rollie Pemberton aka Cadence Weapon, and Exclaim editor Megan LaPierre join the Group Chat to discuss B.C. pop star Carly Rae Jepsen’s long-awaited double-album return; how Drake’s new short film factors into his current comeback campaign; and why this year’s Emmy Awards telecast felt a lot more Canadian than usual.

On Monday, news broke that Macklemore was dropped from Ed Sheeran’s North American tour after the rapper made pro-Palestinian comments on stage. Multiple venus dropped Macklemore. In a statement, Sheeran said he is "appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine," calling the suffering on "both sides" a "human tragedy," but defended his choice not to take a public stance. In response, every other musician on the tour, including Sheeran’s backing band, have pulled out. Culture critics Jay Smooth, Sara Yasin, and Niko Stratis join Elamin Abdelmahmoud to break down what happened and what it says about this moment.