Attention all cabbies, dry cleaners and bartenders: This weekend, Canada's top TV talent will be gathering in Toronto for the Gemini Awards, their annual blow-out.
There's an opening gala tomorrow (hosted by Global News anchor Kevin Newman and carried by Rogers at 7 p.m.), and an industry salute Sunday (hosted by comedian Sean Cullen and also carried on Rogers).
The main show Monday, with Mike Bullard hosting live from the Metro Convention Centre, is on CBC at 8 p.m.
Wendy Crewson, Mary Walsh, Nicholas Campbell, Maria Del Mar, Ron Maclean, Rick Mercer, Wendy Mesley, Colin Mochrie, Kevin Newman, Sarah Polley, Helen Shaver and last year's host, Steve Smith, are among the Monday presenters.
Headed East for the event is Chris Haddock, creator and executive producer of CBC's four-year-old coroner drama DaVinci's Inquest.
Haddock is up for five awards, including one as executive producer of the Vancouver-based series, one as a director, and three for co-writing episodes.
The series has copped 10 nominations, second only to the CTV mini series Nuremberg with 12. Global's new elite cop drama Blue Murder also scored 10 nominations.
Haddock was reached by phone last week in Vancouver, where he was working a scene in Stanley Park.
"There's a homeless guy we've found dead in the bottom of the bear pit," he explains, setting up the scene.
Hot property
DaVinci, which was moved this season to Sundays at 9 p.m., features fellow nominee Nicholas Campbell as a crusading coroner. Suddenly, that's the hottest gig on TV.
Last season's biggest hit on CBS was CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, starring William Petersen as a DaVinci, Las Vegas-style. This year, Jill Hennessy is working the Boston police morgue on NBC's Crossing Jordan.
"It's a little bit of synchronicity," says Haddock, who has managed to catch an episode or two of the competition despite his many DaVinci jobs. "There is just an endless supply of compelling stories involving forensic police work."
DaVinci still does it best, he insists. "I think they can still learn a few things from us," he says, judging both of the U.S. shows as more melodramatic than DaVinci. "They're both over the top. There are tons of errors on CSI, especially during the first season, and I don't think Jordan has found its stride."
Haddock says he prefers British shows such as Robbie Coltrane's Cracker to most American fare.
He has tried to marry the two styles in crafting DaVinci, borrowing the character development from the Brits and the storytelling drive from the Yanks.
Haddock says he was approached by a couple of U.S. networks about importing DaVinci to their schedules had there been an actors or writers strike last summer. He's now working up a few new show ideas which he hopes to pitch as Can/Am co-productions.
In the meantime, CBC has ordered at least one more season of DaVinci, with a sixth "a strong possibility" --especially if Haddock scores a couple of those shiny statues Monday night.
