An awarding experience: The 2006 Gemini Awards
By Michael Kwan
Tuesday, 07 November 2006
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We've all watched the Oscars on television. Perhaps you've caught the Emmy Awards, being floored by Everybody Loves Raymond or Kiefer Sutherland in 24, but what about us poor Canucks north of the 49th parallel? Canadian television deserves just as much airtime as its American counterpart and for that we have the Gemini Awards.
I've never had the opportunity to attend an awards show, so I naturally jumped at the opportunity to head on over to the River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond, BC this past Saturday to take in the festivities at the 21st Annual Gemini Awards. Interestingly, this was the first time the Awards were presented outside of Toronto. We should feel blessed that they chose Vancouver over, you know, like Winnipeg or something.
They really went all out for this show, complete with red carpet arrivals, press up the wazoo, and the whole Entertainment Tonight Canada treatment. They had pre-show interviews, post-award queries, and plenty of photo opportunities. Some of the Canadian celebs in attendance were Michael Landsberg (TSN's Off the Record), Lucas Rossi (Rock Star Supernova), Mike Holmes (Holmes on Homes), and Wendy Crewson (The Man Who Lost Himself).
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Sure, it may not have had the same glitz and glamour as a show at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, but there was enough star power here that would keep even the casual passer-by interested. In fact, several hotel guests could be found hovering over the balconies trying to catch a glimpse of George Stroumboulopoulos or Debbie Travis. These characters may not attract the same level of attention as Tom Cruise or Julia Roberts, but it is still quite the experience to not only be in the same room as these folks, but within arm's reach. The security was pretty lax, from what I could gather, as I could walk around to "press only" areas without too much trouble, even before I got my hands on a media pass.
Now, far be it for me to say that I'm a fan of Canadian television -- I've never watched Intelligence, Marketplace or Royal Canadian Air Farce -- but there are a couple of shows that I am absolutely in love with: Corner Gas and Kenny vs. Spenny. You could imagine my joy as I spotted Kenny Hotz and Spencer Rice on the red carpet, and the same level of joy I had when I saw Gabrielle Miller (Corner Gas).
After the red carpet arrivals were more or less complete, I made my way over to the "Media Room" on the second floor where I was treated to a catered meal and a couple of drinks. The buffet wasn't exactly the same as Bellagio of Las Vegas, but I was pleasantly surprised to find quite the selection of sushi and sashimi. I indulged in some tako and unagi (Vancouverites know their sushi, don't you know?), bypassing the smattering of cheeses, crackers, and dumplings they had on the other table. It was interesting that they had a roast beef (or similar) there, complete with a chef to give you a cut, considering that there no actual tables where you could eat, let alone try to cut with a fork or knife. I stuck to what I could handle with a pair of chopsticks.
The Awards show itself was incredibly short, given the three or four hour marathons we have grown accustomed to thanks to the Grammys and Oscars. There was a 45 minute off-air presentation, where we saw Tom McCamus win Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series (try saying that three times fast) for Waking Up Wally: The Walter Gretzky Story, Ron MacLean win Best Host or Interviewer in a Sports Program or Sportscast for Hockey Night in Canada, and Corner Gas win the award for Best Comedy Program or Series. In all, eight awards were given out even before the show went on the air, and that doesn't include the bountiful number of trophies that were awarded in previous evenings.
On air, we saw only seven awards dished out, making for quite the breakneck pace. This was even more overwhelming for us in the media room, considering that winners were ushered into our press spot immediately after winning, and all the while, the show would be continuing downstairs. What this meant is that I could not watch the entire awards show, because half of the time, I was listening to the pseudo-mini-press conferences that took place after each trophy was awarded. It was nice being able to have those quick chats with the winners as it provided much extra insight beyond their 30 second acceptance speeches.
For example, Kevin Newman -- winner of Best News Anchor, beating Norma Less MacLeod of CBC News at Six: Halifax and Peter Mansbridge of CBC News: The National -- was asked why CTV was not included in this highly sought after category. Newman said that he was surprised to not find the major Canadian network as part of the nominees, and he "wished that Lloyd [Robertson] was here." He was particularly pleased, however, to win in Vancouver, given that he is Vancouver-based. One segment that was of particular interest to me (being a technology-minded writer/journalist) was when Newman discussed the success of Global's podcast. Here is a brief video of that:
I was happy to go and was a little sad to see it end so soon. Joseph Planta, Managing Editor here at The Commentary, asked me afterwards if going the Geminis has changed my view of Canadian television. I would have to say that it has, as prior to my attendance, I had very little interest in Canadian television. I've been much more enthralled by programming I've found elsewhere, most recently Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. And then I learned that Mark McKinney -- who won for the Gemini for Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role for his work in Slings & Arrows Season 2 -- was part of the writing team for an episode of Studio 60 and he will be appearing on-air in a future episode. He said that he had worked with Aaron Sorkin previously (on Sports Night) and would very happily offer his services as a dramedy writer again. It is exactly the unique blend of comedy and drama that draws me into Studio 60, and it seems that Slings & Arrows presents a similar combination. I just may check it out.
And then you have goofballs like Shaun Majumder and Mark Critch of This Hour Has 22 Minutes. They, along with cast-mates Cathy Jones and Gavin Crawford, won for Best Ensemble Performance in a Comedy Program or Series, coming out on top of competitors like Royal Canadian Air Farce, Corner Gas, and The Red Green Show. Again, maybe I should check it out. Majumder even went on to mention that "Canadians get it, they just get it" when it comes to wittier, more intelligent comedy. They cater to the same audience as those who watch Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.
Thank you, Gemini Awards, for venturing out of the T-Dot and over to the West Coast. And thank you for opening my eyes to Canadian television. Now, if you don't mind, Studio 60 is on. Yes, Majumder, we see your bling (he said that brooch on his chest is worth $250,000).
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Check out Beyond the Rhetoric for more pictures and videos from the 2006 Gemini Awards, including clips from Brent Butt and Shaun Majumder.
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