Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud CBC Arts & Entertainment

For this week's wrap panel, culture critics Rad Simonpillai, Kathleen Newman-Bremang and Sarah-Tai Black join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to weigh in on Vulture’s controversial critique of Beyoncé, Time Magazine's Person of the Year cover story with Taylor Swift, and what the online reaction to them says about the state of celebrity criticism today. They also discuss Todd Haynes’ psychological dramedy May December, and Netflix’s dubious efforts at marketing it.

Director Emerald Fennell’s latest film, Saltburn, is proving to be even more polarizing than her controversial 2020 debut, Promising Young Woman. Guardian film critic Adrian Horton explains why this tale of class mobility, queer lust and murder has divided audiences between those who think it’s a stylish, sexy, satiricial thriller, and those who think it’s just empty provocation with nothing interesting to say about privilege. Plus, Guy Fieri recently signed a 3-year deal with the Food Network worth $100 million USD, making him the highest paid celebrity TV chef. Culture critic Niko Stratis digs into what makes Guy Fieri worth so many dollars.

If there is one show that could serve as a time capsule for the early aughts, it's The O.C. The series launched indie music careers, and turned comic book nerds into heartthrobs. 20 years after its premiere, creator Josh Schwartz and executive producer Stephanie Savage join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to reflect on the ups and downs of making the hit show.

Hosted by Marc Fennell, Stuff the British Stole peels back the true histories behind objects acquired by the British Empire that sit in museums and galleries across the world, and meets the people that want them back! The first two seasons of the podcast are available now on CBC Listen. You can also stream the television series now on CBC Gem. Here, Fennell tells the true story of Matoaka - a young Powhatan girl who you probably know as Pocahontas. This is the mystery of a child, a hidden history and a stolen story.

More than 200 years after the Elgin — or Parthenon — marbles were torn from one of Greece's most sacred landmarks and shipped to the U.K., the Greek government continues to fight for their return. Now, the marbles are at the centre of a diplomatic row between the two countries. Elamin talks to Marc Fennell, the host of Stuff The British Stole, about the latest on this historic case study and the questions it raises about how museums are decolonizing — and what’s getting in the way.

Former April Wine singer Myles Goodwyn died this weekend at the age of 75. Craig Northey, one of the founding members of the band Odds, helps us remember Goodwyn's impact and how April Wine's music became an essential part of Canadiana. Elamin also remembers Toronto filmmaker Charles Officer, a giant in Canadian film and television who passed away this weekend after a long illness. Plus, writers Keith Phipps and Anne T. Donahue, as well as former Nicolas Cage stand-in Marco Kyris, stop by Commotion to look at Nicolas Cage's legacy in 2023 following the release of his latest film, Dream Scenario.