The last two industry galas of the marathon 24th Gemini Awards — spanning children’s and youth, comedy, drama and variety categories — unfolded amidst a networking frenzy last night at a Toronto nightclub.

Hosts Ennis Esmer (The Listener) and Zoie Palmer (The Guard) handed out a total of 24 awards in a venue that Esmer quipped was ‘the place where your children first tried ecstasy.’

Multiple-statue winners included CBC and Shaftesbury Films, the latter of which took three Geminis, including two for Life with Derek. It garnered the best children’s or youth series for Shafesbury topper Christina Jennings and the team of Daphne Ballon, Jeff Biederman, Suzanne French, Scott Garvie and Laurie McLarty.

The 22-year-old Life with Derek star Michael Seater — who took best performance in a children’s series — told Playback Daily backstage that ‘it’s really an honor to win an award in an industry I’ve worked so long in. It’s been 14 years, so this is like ‘Holy shit and horseshoes!”

Massive hoots and hollers went up each of the three times that The Tudors took a prize in the craft categories of best photography, best picture editing and best sound. Director Jeremy Podeswa was on hand to accept for photog Ousama Rawi and thanked ‘the entire Irish crew’ but, noticeably, left out broadcaster CBC.

Quite a few nominees came in from eastern and western Canada including Sanctuary producer Lee Wilson, with his wife and visual effects producer Lisa Sepp-Wilson. The series won best visual effects.

‘We’ve been nominated for five Emmys,’ for other shows, said Wilson, ‘but Sanctuary is all Canadian and we’re proud of that so we flew in from Vancouver.’ .

By the second half of the evening — a mish-mash of comedy, variety and drama categories — the honorees looked to be a little thin on the ground. Several winners were not on hand to pick up their prizes and, in three cases, sent no one on their behalf.

‘Does anyone want a Gemini?’ quipped one presenter, when no one came forward after Brad Wright of Stargate: Atlantis won best writing on a dramatic series. Gabrielle Miller’s supporting actress win for Robson Arms also went unclaimed, as did the win for Stargate‘s makeup team.

But there was no missing Debra DiGiovanni as the boisterous stand-up comic took the stage upon winning best comedy performance for her turn at the 2008 Halifax Comedy Fest.

‘Last year I was hosting this show, now I’ve won. What do you think of that?’ said DiGiovanni, beaming at the enthusiastic crowd. She went on to issue the usual thank-yous before quipping, ‘The thing about stand-up is, I really want to thank me. I wrote it, I said it. So thank you very much.’

‘I’d also like to thank my parents for ignoring me,’ she added. ‘I’d thank my boyfriend but I don’t have one.’

Supporting actor winner Mpho Koaho of Soul also patted himself on the back. ‘I really am convinced that I’m the best-dressed mother here,’ he deadpanned, after high-five-ing his way to the stage. ‘I’ve always wanted to say that,’ he added. (In truth, he did look pretty sharp.)

An absent Jerry Ciccoritti took best directing on a dramatic program for The Terrorist Next Door, while Shelagh O’Brien went home with the corresponding win for variety for her work on the Just for Laughs Gala Series.

‘I thought this was going to be a So You Think You Can Dance Canada moment,’ she remarked, caught off guard by the win. The CTV reality may have missed that category but it did pick up best music, variety dance program.

Upon claiming her win for The Line, casting director Marsha Chesley took the opportunity to remind the crowd that she and her colleagues have a tough and often overlooked job. Recalling a conversation with an unnamed producer, who had expressed bewilderment at the thankless job, Chesley remarked, ‘We suffer these indignities and the reason we do it, Mr. Producer, is to work on shows like The Line.’

‘It’s not about power. It’s about getting the right people for the part,’ she said to a warm round of applause from the crowd.