True to form, so far CBC is leading this year’s Gemini awards, sweeping categories in news, comedy and drama during the first round of the annual TV awards earlier this month in Toronto.

Ceeb shows picked up 38 wins out of 74 categories including best newscast, best variety series and guest dramatic performances during the Oct. 16-18 presentations, giving the network a lead going into the final awards gala, set for Vancouver on Nov 4.

With arch-competitor CTV absent from the category in protest, the Oct. 16 wins in news came as little surprise.

‘It’s kind of like a wedding ceremony where the bride’s side didn’t show up,’ quipped Linden MacIntyre, upon accepting his fourth Gemini for writing on CBC’s the fifth estate, which also won best information series.

CBC News: The National won best newscast and reportage for globetrotting correspondent Patrick Brown, while anchor Peter Mansbridge took best host for his work during the recent federal election. Mansbridge is also up for best news anchor, to be awarded in Vancouver.

China Rises, a four-part Ceeb series that aired in January, was voted best documentary.

CTV sister channel TSN scored in three sports categories. Its coverage of the Canada vs. Russia junior hockey gold medal game won best live event as well as direction for Paul Hemming, while announcers Chris Cuthbert and Glen Suitor were honored for their joint play-by-play CFL coverage.

Discovery Channel, also in the CTV family, saw its one-hour science doc How William Shatner Changed the World win an editing trophy for Howard Goldberg.

The second night – for lifestyle, children’s and youth programming – saw George Stroumboulopoulos take the spotlight and the trophy for best talk series host for CBC News: The Hour. The show itself, which recently migrated from Newsworld to the main network, was named best talk series.

‘This is for everyone else who was nominated,’ the hipster gabber told the crowd, hoisting his award. ‘I saw all their shows and they were dynamite.’

The Ceeb also scored a surprise victory among youth fiction series for The Morgan Waters Show, a six-minute comedy/interview show that has since been cancelled.

‘CBC takes a lot of knocks in the press, but it’s a great place,’ said producer Martin Markle from the podium. Markle recently left his post as kids production exec at CBC for a new gig at Alliance Atlantis.

CTV scored points for comedy on the third night, with Mark McKinney taking best comedy performance for his turn on Robson Arms. McKinney – currently in L.A. writing for Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip – was called to the podium again that night, sharing a dramatic writing win for Slings & Arrows with Susan Coyne and Bob Martin.

Coyne also took a Gemini for her supporting role on Slings, which airs on The Movie Network and Movie Central.

CTV also won in the TV movie category for Hunt for Justice: The Louise Arbour Story. The MOW by Galafilm Productions and Tatfilm beat out titles including Gordon Pinsent’s pet project Heyday!, Chris Haddock’s Intelligence and the Terry Fox biopic Terry.

Terry took a surprise win later that night, however, when it beat out three science fiction series for best visual effects – besting ReGenesis, Charlie Jade and a twice-nominated Stargate SG-1. The CTV MOW used CG effects to remove the leg of star Shawn Ashmore.

Degrassi: The Next Generation and composer Jim McGrath won best original score for a drama – the only win for the series that recently stopped submitting to the children’s/youth categories in which it traditionally enjoyed considerable Gemini success.

The CBC mini At the Hotel failed to collect on its writing and directing nominations (it lost both to Slings) but paid off for performers Maury Chaykin and Linda Kash, who won the male and female categories for guest performances in a drama.

Kash is also well known as the red-headed angel seen in a series of cream cheese commercials. ‘I love selling cream cheese, but I’ve been doing it for some time, so it’s nice to be acknowledged for something else,’ she told the crowd tearfully.

Best comedy direction went to James Allodi for Naked Josh, besting coworker Jim Donovan, who was nominated for the same series.

‘It just goes to show, you just have to get hired and you’re halfway there,’ said Allodi upon accepting the award.

Best variety series went to CBC’s Songwriters Circle, ‘the little show that could, and did, and got cancelled,’ remarked producer Geoff D’Eon.

Other notable winners include MuchMusic VJ Search – The Series for reality, Stuntdawgs for general/human interest, Til Debt Do Us Part for lifestyle, Bromwell High for animated, and Street Cents for children’s or youth nonfiction.

www.geminiawards.ca