CTV’s newsroom drama The Eleventh Hour and CBC news magazine the fifth estate received 15 nods each, while Showcase’s popular Trailer Park Boys was not mentioned in the category it won last year, as the 2005 Gemini Awards nominations were announced on Oct. 11 on Global’s Entertainment Tonight Canada.

In the annual celebration of English-Canadian TV, the now-cancelled Eleventh Hour is nominated for best drama series against Bravo!’s six-episode restaurant-set Godiva’s, CBC’s Da Vinici’s Inquest and This Is Wonderland, The Movie Network/Movie Central’s ReGenesis and a surprise nom for CTV’s Degrassi: The Next Generation.

The half-hour hit is usually found in the youth programming categories, but, bolstered by growing critical and commercial attention, prodco Epitome Pictures boldly submitted it as a drama. The gamble paid off in terms of making the drama series shortlist, but the show was shut out of all craft categories, where it has traditionally flourished as a youth submission. Legal drama This Is Wonderland received 12 nominations overall.

Another cancelled CTV drama, Cold Squad, received four nominations, including best direction for the Gary Harvey-helmed ‘And the Fury’ episode, and performance nods for Julie Stewart and Sonja Bennett. The series has been shut down for well over a year, but aired during the Gemini qualifying period of May 1, 2004 to April 30, 2005.

Trailer Park Boys was snubbed in the best comedy category this year after its 2004 win. Last year’s unsuccessful favorite, CTV’s Corner Gas, is back this year, competing against The Comedy Network’s Puppets Who Kill, History Television’s History Bites, and CBC’s This Hour Has 22 Minutes and also-finished The Newsroom. TPB is up for best ensemble cast in a comedy series, however, against 22 Minutes, History Bites, Puppets and The Tournament. Last year’s winner, Corner Gas, is surprisingly absent.

CBC’s Sex Traffic leads all miniseries with 14 nominations, including best mini, against the Ceeb’s H2O and CTV’s Lives of the Saints. CTV also has a good shot at the best MOW Gemini with its Tripping the Wire: A Stephen Tree Mystery, Burn: The Robert Wraight Story and The Life competing against CHUM’s Except the Dying and TMN/MC’s The Last Casino.

In the nonfiction categories, CBC leads the pack and is competing against only itself in the best doc series category, with Legendary Sin Cities, Witness, Rough Cuts, The Passionate Eye and The Nature of Things all vying.

Instant Star – the Epitome-produced sister to Degrassi: TNG – will take on 15/Love, Fungus the Bogeyman, Fries with That and Radio Free Roscoe in the best children’s/youth fiction series category.

In all, 96 Geminis will be handed out over three nights in Toronto. The hostless broadcast gala will take place on Saturday, Nov. 19 after the industry gala on Nov. 18 and the documentary, news and sports gala on Nov. 17.

This is a big year for the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television’s annual TV awards, says ACCT president and CEO Maria Topalovich. It is the Gemini’s 20th edition and its first to air on Global, after CBC handed over the reins. Global has 14 nominations for its programming, CTV garnered 83 and CBC received more than 200 nods this year, a fact celebrated by pubcaster EVP Richard Stursberg in a company-wide memo, no doubt aimed at boosting post-lockout morale.

Although the most-nominated drama in this transitional year is no longer airing, Academy chair Paul Gratton says it is no different than at the 2005 Emmys, where the outgoing Everybody Loves Raymond was nominated for the best comedy prize and won.

‘There was always a gap between the critical response and the ratings for [The Eleventh Hour], so I guess the juries have confirmed what the critics have been saying all along – that this was an excellent show,’ says Gratton.

Topalovich calls Global’s involvement ‘a very exciting development in the history of the Geminis.’ She says there will be some content during the broadcast celebrating the Geminis’ 20th anniversary, but deferred comment until it is fully developed.

Barbara Williams, SVP programming at CanWest MediaWorks, says ET Canada will continue to be an important hype vehicle as the award’s date approaches, with print and online campaigns also planned.

‘We think it’s tremendously important for the Gemini Awards show to have a strong broadcast window,’ says Williams. ‘We are working with the production team to ensure the show will feature a strong list of appearing stars, fun comedy sketches and entertaining performances.’

CBC, which has carried the show every year except for 1989 when CTV broadcast the gala, says it will produce a retrospective and air a repeat of the gala a day or two later.

www.academy.ca