One of the highlights of the Gemini Awards on Global was when Ken Finkleman won a Gemini for Best Writing In A Comedy Series. Having won five Geminis in various categories for various shows prior to tonight, Finkleman gave a speech that epitomizes how I feel about the Canadian television industry.
His speech was simply this: "The best thing about writing is you don't have to thank anyone." Then he left.
Normally this wouldn't bother me, but it came off as a flippant remark. Finkleman stars, writes and is executive producer of The Newsroom. His character on the show is that of an egotistical executive producer of a news program.
If Ken Finkleman's character isn't essentially his personality writ large, he did little to disprove it here. It's almost like Finkleman expected the award. There were funnier programs than The Newsroom on Canadian television this year, but that's the thing with the Geminis - he just didn't seem to care. If he doesn't care, why should I?
Something else I could never figure out was when Trailer Park Boys won Best Ensemble Performance - the nomination clip littered with as many S-and-F-bombs as could be expected of the program. "Shit" is quite acceptable for prime-time audiences and has been in Canada for years, but "fuck" is not (well, not before 9:00 PM, anyway) and was censored for the audience. Later on, Mary Walsh trudged through a rah-rah speech about the Canadian television industry, letting out a few F-bombs just because...well, because she could. The speech was about as subtle as a hand grenade being delivered by a fist to the face. Trailer Park Boys uses that language because it's colloquial to the inhabitants of the show's redneck setting. Walsh just seemed like she was peppering her speech for the sheer hell of it. Edge and reverence: two tastes that don't go great together.
That's the principal problem with the Gemini Awards. The Geminis try to be a hipper version of the Emmy Awards - well, about as hip as one can go considering Luba Goy's involvement. The awards ceremony (or, more importantly, its closing gala as the awards are spread out over three days) came across as uneven and unbecoming of an anniversary gala. The awards broadcast was produced by both Global and CBC, CBC having lost Gemini broadcast rights this year due to the CMG lockout. It still felt like the CBC-oriented Gemini Awards, on another network. How else to explain the involvement of Gavin Crawford, Sean Cullen, assorted members of the mutated husk that is modern-day Air Farce and Mary Walsh? On top of that, Scott Thompson and technical problems also featured. It's like the purveyors of cornpone and the hipsters were thrown into a blender and expected to become something that didn't taste off.
Article comments
1 - gypsman
Always one to encourage a fellow traveller,i.e Canadian, wanted to post a comment for you Cameron. You and I both know the sordid past and endless stupidity that are the Gemini awards and Canadian television. I still cringe with embarresment thinking about having worked in the industry for ten years. Taking that seriously made me feel like I was living in some hick town where they were handing out the local 4h awards for best cabbage... but at least the cabbage was an honest effort if you know what I mean.
My point though, and I do take forever to get to it, ask anybody, is not many people who come to this site are going to know what a Gemini is or who Ken Finkleman. I've been doing some Canadain politics stuff for the site, and been using it as instructional steps to breed awareness.
Oh hell I don't know do what you want of course, but remember 90% of the people a this site know abosolutly nothing about Canada. No offense to everybody else, but its probably true. How often does the elephant notice the mouse in reality.
Good stuff though and its good to have another of the "beady eyed contingent" on board (don't ask, just smile and nod that's what I do)
cheers
gypsyman
2 - Cameron Archer
Should I talk about the Canadian television system in more detail, then? I don't pretend the review is more than a minor one. I was only posting that for the benefit of when Google News actually indexes Blogcritics again.
Also, I wanted to talk about something unique. I wanted to provide a view about the Geminis that wasn't Bill Brioux's "who cares about the Geminis" (although he's actually absolutely bang on with his article), so I took aim at the format of the awards ceremony itself. I'm glad the Geminis are not bloated like the Emmys are, but Canadian television deserves more than a poorly paced, awkward awards ceremony.
The Geminis aren't worthless, but a hell of a lot of Canadians are absolutely ignorant of their own television star system. Screw trying to explain the Canadian system to Americans - who knows who Demore Barnes or Jonothan Torrens are? I do like Canadian television, but so much of it is overrated (see: Trailer Park Boys, which I've never actually found funny but has its American fans) or else unjustly ignored. It's sad when the Canadian programs most familiar to Americans are shows like The Adventures of Sinbad and Degrassi.
At least SCTV and Kids In The Hall made inroads into American culture, but those are small victories. CTV's the #1 network right now because it broadcasts the equivalent of the New York Yankees of American television. Corner Gas managing to become a homegrown hit there seems more a fluke than a reaffirmation of the show's quality.
3 - colleen thompson
It is not often that I feel like making the effort to actually try to do something about a program which totally offends me, but after watching part of the Geminis, I felt I had to find some way to get my opinion of the show across.
It was not funny, it was a juvenile hodgepodge of so-called humour that seemed guided by an, 'Oh look at me, I'm swearing and using 'that" word on television!' attitude. I'm no prude and words like these, sparingly used in a context where they are warranted, don't bother me. But to have them spouting from everyone's mouth on a prime time Canadian show, for no good reason, was insulting to the Awards generally, nauseating to the viewers, and certainly did not add prestige to the actors who received the Awards.
It was embarrassing to me as a viewer, and it embarrassed me as a Canadian. What kind of low brow image of Canadians was going out to the world? I kept hoping no one in the USA or in Britain, or in any other country was watching.
The rude and hurtful remark about Camilla, wife of Prince Charles completely took me aback. I'd had the odd notion that Canadians were above that kind of malicious insult. And as for Mary Walsh, the whole of Canada is increasingly tired of her slutty mouth and attitude. I can't imagine why she was featured. If it was to add even more embarrassing material to Canada's usual Gemini fiasco, it worked. This was the worst year yet. Could we plan next year's show in a more sophisticated manner? This years's pre-teen mentality hodgepodge of so-called humour and entertainment was a disaster. No wonder disappointed and annoyed viewers were changing the channel in droves. I managed to watch about 30 minutes of it before clicking the button to a less brain-dead offering.
We've got funny people in Canada, just not that bunch. Please try, try harder next year. We are a sophisticated audience, for god's sake, not a bunch of two-year-olds waiting for someone to say 'bum" (or its equivalent) so we can giggle. I'm so disgusted. Someone - help the Geminis!!
In conclusion, let me say that the three people who did have a Canadian gentleness, were Dave Broadfoot (old as he is, and as loath as the rude audience was to applaud him), little ? Cook, and Canadian idol, Rex Goudie. BEST in SHOW!
4 - John Dennis
The Geminis aren't bad because there's swearing or whatnot, they're bad because they celebrate an ailing. Walsh was way out of line, but moreso in her argument that Canadian TV is the greatest thing since sliced bread. There's a lot of really
REALLY bad Canadian TV. The balance certainly leans towards the bad side. We only hold a candle to the Americans in terms of our style and
wit. Otherwise, there's a hell of a lot of low production values and a system where nobody is making money. This is problematic obviously. So
don't cancel the Geminis because of some bad language, cancel them because there's not much worth rewarding in Canadian TV, thanks to the
very people that would produce an awards show about it. Don't even start into why we lack a star system (I know you mentioned most people are just ignorant about it, but I would argue that there really isn't much of one at all) and all the things completely wrong with the CBC, and countless more problems with the way our culture is generated and propagated. We can't possibly discuss them all here.
As for your comments re: Finkleman. The character on the Newsroom is not based on him, despite the popular notion that it is. Nor is it directly based on anyone he used to work with at CBC, so he claims. He's actually just uncomfortable with the notion of winning things. I'm sure he cracked a bottle of bubbly with the people who deserved
thanks later that evening.
5 - C. Gorlewski
Very sad how this show has to get so smutty - used to be almost like a family show and now sometimes I am ashamed to be watching. The show can be fun without the filth. Come on Canadians lets clean it up a bit
6 - kevin bickertsaff
The awards last night was as embarrassing as watching the Maple Leafs play hockey. The jokes were lame, the dresses were that of a wallmart special, I had to smoke 3 cigs in a row to recover from seeing loverboy and Theo Tames sing, even though Theo sings awful. It was a mess and I will never ever watch it again. ewwwwwwww is what I say