Why the most powerful celeb book clubs love The Tell
Today on Commotion, host Elamin Abdelmahmoud speaks with The Cut's Emily Gould about her thoughts on the memoir, as well as what it means to have it lauded by the giants of the book club world.
Interview with Emilly Gould produced by Jane van Koeverden.
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5 days ago
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Are there fireworks between Justin Trudeau and Katy Perry?
Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau had dinner this week at an upscale restaurant in Montreal. After TMZ first reported the story, rumours started to swirl about whether the two were on a date, and what the future could hold for the pair. Today on Commotion, gossip columnist Lainey Lui and investigative journalist Justin Ling join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about why these two love the limelight, and what our reaction reveals about the moment we're living in. We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player. WATCH | Today's episode on YouTube: Elamin: You cover politics, Justin. Watching this story, Lainey just pointed out this idea that they could have done this in private…. When you think about Justin Trudeau as a political figure, how do you think of this being in conversation with the way that he was as a politician? Justin: So, for starters, I swear I'm not coming for Lainey's job as a gossip columnist, but I do live here in Montreal. I do have connections. I have some sources, and I can tell you that when they booked the reservation for this dinner, they were pretty upfront. They knew there was going to be paparazzi outside, or at least people taking photos, or whatever. They intentionally did not do this as a private dinner. It has been speculated this was a soft launch. Again, not my business. I swear I'm not coming for your work, Lainey. Elamin: It's a little bit your business, but that's okay. Justin: So, you know, people who maybe have that pain of like, "Oh, well, they should be allowed to have this in private." They know they're having it in public. It's on purpose. And you always have to remember that so much of what Justin Trudeau does is following in the footsteps of his father. His father famously was a tabloid king, even when he was still in office. He dated Kim Cattrall in his later years. He dated Barbra Streisand quite publicly, or it was at least publicly speculated. So a lot of this is very purposeful. And to some degree, when he was prime minister, he was kind of this hybrid celebrity-politician, and he was always like this. He loves hobnobbing with American celebrities. He loves being in the limelight. He likes being kind of performative. And now that he's out of office, he's just doing this without all of the baggage of actually having to lead a country. What this is setting him up for, the next step, is going to be interesting. I don't know that I actually care, but certainly I think there's gonna be a lot more of it. Elamin: I do think that some of the public appearances and public performances after his resignation, after he was no longer prime minister, have been befuddling to me, Lainey. For example, I think the first photo that he posted on Instagram after he was no longer prime minister was a trip to Canadian Tire, but the caption was posted in English and French. I was like, what is that? I don't know what compels a person to do that after you are no longer holding that office. But the idea that you still want to maintain the appearance of being like, "I am everybody's person, I sort of belong to everybody." So when you listen to what Justin just said there, what's your take on that idea that this coheres with Trudeau as a hybrid politician and celebrity? Lainey: I 100 per cent agree with what Justin said — and thank you for being my source. I will quote you later in my column, about the reservation. And so I 100 per cent agree with the image of Justin Trudeau and the legacy he comes from. His father was a tabloid prime minister in terms of being, I don't know, in the politics write-ups, but also there was so much interest in his personal life because he was single, right? He was single for so much of the time that he was in office. But it also kind of feeds into a classic rom-com trope: the single politician, ex-politician, the pop star coming together. And he knows this, too. I mean, this is also a prime minister who's pretty tapped in with pop culture…. So this is 100 per cent the prime minister and celebrity I know to be as Justin Trudeau. It's not, like, an about-face. It's not a pivot to a new personality. This person is quite familiar to us, and Katy Perry is quite familiar to us. And I actually think this is a good match because, you know, you're talking about the Canadian Tire thing — was it a little corny? I'm not trying to put words in your mouth. Elamin: No, let me just answer that question. Yes, it was. Lainey: Exactly. It was a little corny, but so is Katy Perry. She's corny af, right? So to me, this is a match made in rom-com heaven. Like, of course I'm rejoicing because this makes my job easier. I have a personal investment in this. But also this is just, I mean, it was written. It was scripted. I know this is a random hookup, but at the same time, when I think about it, I'm like, everything lines up. The math is math-ing.
CBC
6 days ago
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How well does the show Washington Black capture Nova Scotia?
Social Sharing Esi Edugyan's novel Washington Black is a modern Canadian classic. Set in the 19th century, the epic story follows a young boy named George Washington Black who is born on a Barbados sugar plantation. He has an exceptionally sharp mind that leads him on an adventure around the world, to places like Virginia, Halifax, and even the Arctic. The book was released in 2018 to critical acclaim, including a Giller Prize win. Now, it's been adapted into a TV show — but not by a Canadian production company. The Hulu original series is available to watch in Canada on Disney+. Today on Commotion, culture critic El Jones and TV producer Floyd Kane join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about the new series, and what it gets right (and wrong) about Black Canadian history. We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player. WATCH | Today's episode on YouTube: Elamin: You are both Nova Scotians. This series is largely shot in Nova Scotia, Halifax, Peggy's Cove, Lunenburg. El, as a professor, what grade would you give the show in terms of its depiction of African Nova Scotian history? El: What I do like is that Halifax is portrayed as at the centre of the world…. We often don't think of ourselves as central to global Blackness, and that is a beautiful thing. At the same time, as I think Floyd's about to get to as well, there's some historical difficulties — perhaps starting with the idea that we were the last stop on the Underground Railroad. I think that's a pretty loose interpretation of how Black people actually came to Halifax, most of which was not through the Underground Railroad. Elamin: Those are the first words you hear in the show, right? El: Yes, so I think it's simplified for an American audience, which is a shame because the history of Black journey into Halifax is actually a very wide-ranging and interesting one. And then of course — I know Floyd is gonna say this, so I don't wanna steal his thunder — but the accents are very American. It would be nice to actually see what is African Nova Scotia: the specific accents, the specific way of being that is unique to the nation that is Nova Scotia. Because they obviously want to universalize it and perhaps sell it into an American market, they want to kind of use the frame of, "Oh, it's Canada, this place of freedom," — but not actually give us the substantiveness that is Black Canada. So we end up— which by the way, when we were talking about 40 Acres, we kind of see the same thing: that often, we have these productions— Elamin: 40 Acres is the movie that we talked about a few weeks ago. El: —that will be set in Canada, yeah, but then really want to vibe [as] American just so it doesn't seem too Canadian. I think we see that here as well. Elamin: Floyd, you know, El didn't want to steal your thunder, so let us hand you your thunder. Do you think the show would feel different if a Canadian had made it? Would there be a different kind of sensitivity there? Floyd: I haven't read the book, but one of the things that I felt watching the TV show is that … he felt all of these things happen to him as a child.... It didn't always feel like those things were with him, if that makes sense? I feel like if Canadians made this, there probably would have been a bit more of that heaviness with him. But also, I have to say as a Nova Scotian and as a Canadian, I would have loved to have seen more of the geography of where those Black communities were actually settled. There's some amazing photography in this limited series, just incredible…. In some cases I'm like, "Wow, this would have played great in a movie theatre." But I did kind of feel like when the Black characters were on-screen and in-community, I would have loved to have actually been in one of those communities, depicting what life was like in those communities at that time. It is very hard to get Canadian history on camera. Having an opportunity to tell Black Canadian history, it's five times as hard.
CBC
24-07-2025
- CBC
What happens if the Giller Prize shuts down?
Social Sharing The executive director of the Giller Prize says that Canada's most prestigious literary award will be forced to shut down if the organization doesn't receive $5 million from the federal government. This comes after the Giller Prize cut ties with its former lead sponsor, Scotiabank, because of its subsidiary's investment in Israeli arms manufacturer, Elbit Systems. Today on Commotion, guest host Eli Glasner speaks with Globe and Mail columnist Marsha Lederman about the future of the Giller Prize and the impact on Canadian literature if it closes down. We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player. WATCH | Today's episode on YouTube: Eli: Why does the Giller Prize matter, in the big picture? We're talking about the future of this, so talk to me about the difference it has made and its impact. Marsha: The Giller Prize is, I would argue, the most prestigious literary prize in this country. And it's not just about perception. There have been studies that have shown concrete increases in book sales as a result of a Giller nomination, and especially a win. It's marketing gold. And it's not just the prize, there's a book tour, there's a book club, there's a scholarship for young BIPOC [Black, Indigenous, People of Colour] writers. And all of this is important, and it's a celebration — or it was — of Canadian literature, which is a very good thing. So it would be a real loss to the ecosystem, I believe. Eli: And going back to the pressure campaign, Scotiabank's investments in the Israeli arms manufacturer, that was very successful. This is now just the Giller, not the Scotiabank Giller. But from your perspective, was it worth it, if it means the end of this prize? Marsha: The easy answer is: even if it's a shame that we lose this prize, it's nothing compared to what's going on in Gaza, which, of course, is true. But was bringing down this prize the right move? Like, is it going to change anything in Gaza? Even if the Scotiabank subsidiary has decreased its investment in Elbit Systems, does that really make a difference? I think probably not. But I also understand authors with strong convictions do what they can with their voice in a horrible situation. They wanted to voice their opposition to this war, fair enough, this is how they chose to do it. But I do think if we lose the Giller, it is a tremendous loss for Canadian culture. Eli: Do you see a way forward that Ottawa would directly fund this prize? Marsha: Personally, I do not. The federal government is currently asking for spending cuts, pretty much across the board. Even if $5 million is a drop in the bucket, the optics are not great when you're asking for cuts everywhere — and that will probably include, I presume, the Canada Council for the Arts, which [provides] grants [to] artists and cultural organizations and funds the Governor General's Literary Awards. So I don't see a scenario where the government hands money over to this organization, especially when so many arts organizations are struggling. The Vancouver Art Gallery just cut 30 per cent of its staff in programming. The Regina Folk Festival is closed. The Kingston WritersFest is struggling. I don't know how the federal government gives money to this glitzy prize in light of all that.
