Halifax is renowned for its vibrant cultural scene, but it’s getting harder to make a living — and artists are having to move farther afield just to stay afloat. Musicians Maggie Andrew and Adam Baldwin, comedian Aba Amuquandoh and filmmaker Tara Thorne join Elamin at the Commotion table in Halifax to talk about what the capital of Nova Scotia has to offer artists today, and what’s at stake when artists can’t make ends meet there.

Can artists still make it in Halifax?

Big laughs. Smart takes. Every day. Commotion is where you go for thoughtful and vibrant conversations about all things pop culture. Host Elamin Abdelmahmoud calls on journalists, critics, creators and friends to talk through the biggest arts &amp; entertainment stories of the day, in 30 minutes or less. 
 Subscribe&nbsp;to&nbsp;Sounds Good: CBC's Podcasts newsletter&nbsp;for the&nbsp;finest podcast recommendations and behind-the-scenes exclusives.

Arts

Literature

Performing Arts

Design

Food

Fashion & Beauty

Visual Arts

Culture critics Leila Latif, Louise Bruton and Jael Richardson weigh in on the first half of Bridgerton season 3, and the Amy Winehouse biopic 'Back to Black.' 

Bridgerton is back, and why no one seems to like the Amy Winehouse movie

Oprah Winfrey is back and she wants to talk about losing weight. Again. She’s hosted a series of specials on the topic, stepping up to acknowledge the role she's played in creating a toxic diet culture. But she's also thinner, thanks to weight loss drugs she admits to taking. Elamin is joined by writers Scaachi Koul and Gianluca Russo to talk about this massive rebrand for the weight-loss industry. Plus, comic book superfan Frankey Smith will be on Commotion to talk about X-Men ‘97 and why this revival of the beloved 90s cartoon is being called the best X-Men adaptation to date.

Can Oprah make amends for her role in popularizing diet culture, and the new X-men '97 adaptation

Alice Munro, Canadian master of the short story and Nobel winner, has died at 92 years of age. Her longtime publisher Douglas Gibson, and writers Heather O’Neill and Madeleine Thien join Elamin to talk about her life and legacy. 


Remembering Alice Munro

With the news that Canada has won the bid to have its first WNBA team, Elamin is joined by sports journalist Shireen Ahmed (who broke the story)  and sports fan and culture critic Andrea Williams to react to the news and the moment the WNBA has been having this year. Plus, Elamin is joined by Rolling Stone journalist EJ Dickson to talk about vertical-video apps, which are attracting millions of viewers with their schlocky soap-era-style shows delivered in short 90-second episodes. However, the medium’s rising popularity has also brought greater scrutiny to its non-unionized work practices, its algorithm-driven content generation, and non-diverse casting.

What needs to change when the WNBA comes to Canada, and soap operas done TikTok style

Eurovision was the most political it’s ever been this year because of the war between Israel and Hamas. Elamin speaks with Commotion Eurovision correspondent Karen Fricker about what happened. Then, it was a devastating blow to country music when legendary singer Randy Travis lost his voice to a stroke in 2013. With the assistance of artificial intelligence, he’s released his first new song in more than a decade called Where That Came From. Elamin speaks with music writer Steacy Easton about the new song, and how it's being received.

Can artists still make it in Halifax?

Download our free app to listen on your phone