Edmonton Journal from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada • 17

TTH A A A EDITOR: Bob Remington, 429-5346 jpwwqMgg "ill' "jm fi ioD Offbeat series nabs five awards as TV honors its best i i I A att Gemini winner Paul Gross of Due variety or performing arts program Saturday night and collected Geminis in three technical categories during the Geminis' first night, held Feb. 23. Life with Billy, a terrifying CBC movie based on a real-life marriage-from-hell, dominated the drama awards Sunday by winning three Geminis. The film's stars Stephen McHattie and Nancy Beatty won Geminis for best performance by an actor and actress in a leading role in a dramatic program or mini-series. The movie's director Paul Donovan picked up a Gemini for best direction in a dramatic program or series.

Life with Billy depicted the physically and sexually abusive relationship between Billy Stafford and his wife Jane Hurshman in rural Nova Scotia. The marriage ended when Hurshman shot Stafford to death in 1982. She was acquitted of first degree murder but the Crown appealed and she pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Lally Cadeau won the Gemini for best performance by an actress in a continuing leading dramatic role for her work on CBC's Road to Avonlea. Avonlea picked up two more Geminis on Saturday night for best guest performance by an actor in a series for Bruce Greenwood and best original music score for a series.

In one of the awards show highlights, the SCTV comedy troupe sans the late John Candy was presented with the Earle Grey Award for its body of work on TV. Among those accepting the prestigious award were Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Catherine O'Hara, Dave Thomas and Martin Short. "We're old now like Bob Hope," said Thomas, whose repertoire of impressions included the legendary comedian. "It's funny how you become what you parody." This Hour Has 22 Minutes won the Gemini for best performance in a comedy program or series. This Hour also picked up awards for best comedy series and best writing in a comedy or variety program or series on Saturday night.

South serenades audience with a chorus of real Mounties in the background Sunday night (. jjj it The Canadian Press (Left to right) Mary Walsh, Grey Thomey, Cathy Jones and Rick Mercer of This Hour Has 22 Minutes, judged best comedy series The Canadian Press Joe Flaherty, Dave Thomas, Catherine O'Hara and Eugene Levy of SCTV won special Gemini The Canadian Press (Alliance Communications Corp.) Note: The following award was not provided in Saturday's list of Gemini Award winners BEST PERFORMANCE IN A VARIETY PROGRAM OR SERIES Sarah McLachlan, Sarah McLachlan Fumbling Towards Ecstaaj (MuchMusic) JANE STEVENSON The Canadian Press Toronto Due South got its due and more at the ninth annual Gemini Awards on Sunday night. CTV's offbeat series about a clean-cut Mountie in Chicago took home five Geminis in all including best dramatic series, best performance by an actor for Paul Gross, best writing in a dramatic series and best TV movie for its two-hour pilot. 1 That put Due South in a tie with the CBC skating special, Kurt Browning: You Must Remember This, for the most hardware over the Geminis' three nights culminating with the awards how Sunday broadcast on CBC. Tm not sure if you people are watching the same show that we are," joked Paul Haggis, Due Smiths Canadian-born creator, viter and executive producer.

r4'We're not even the most dramatic Mountie series on television but thank you anyways." Haggis was referring to CBC's 'North of 60, which features Mounties working in the Nrthwest Territories. It had nine nominations but was shut but, Due South the first Canadian series to be seen on prime-time in the United States also picked up a Gemini for best direction in a drama or comedy during Saturday night's awards. The show had collected a record 14 nominations. "I would like to thank the writers of the Gemini Awards show for thinking to include me in this part here joked Gross, 'who co-hosted the Geminis with North of60's Tina Keeper. "But I'm really only entitled to Ibhe third of this.

One third of this goes to David Marciano and one third of it goes to Lincoln, who plays Diefenbaker." I Gross was referring to his cottar Marciano, who was also nominated for best actor, and his Hog co-star Lincoln, who plays Diefenbaker, a deaf, lipreading wolf on the series. I The Browning special collected Jail five of its awards prior to "Sunday night. It won for best variety program Jor series and best direction in a Sunday's fThe Canadian Press Winners Sunday at the JGemini Awards, celebrating excellence in English-language tTV: best information Series The 5th Estate, producers Kelly Crichton, David Studer, (CBC) BEST ANCHOR OR INTERVIEWER Linden Maclntyre, The 5th Estate, (CBC) BEST TELEVISION MOVIE Due South, producers Paul Haggis, Jean Desmormeaux, Jeff King, (Alliance Communications Corp.) BEST SPORTS R.E.M. drummer recovering; tour on hold R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry is recovering well from surgery to stem bleeding in his brain, but the band's lawyer said Saturday a world tour is on hold.

"All we are concerned about right now is getting him well again," Bertis Downs told The Associated Press. Berry, 36, co-founder of the Atlanta rock group, collapsed Wednesday during a concert at Lausanne, Switzerland. On Friday he underwent surgery to repair two aneurysms, one of which had ruptured. Surgeons at the University Hospital Centre of Vaud in Lausanne said the pperation was a success. The American leg of the tour lo promote the band's new album, Monster, was to begin in May.

R.E.M.'s March dates Included Paris, Berlin and Tlelsinki. During April, the group was to tour Scandinavia jand Britain. X-Files star feared pregnant pause Gillian Anderson feared that the perils of pregnancy could Include losing her job. The actor who plays FBI Dana Scully on Fox's The Gemini winners are TWo tied for overall lead The Canadian Press Remember Tlus 5 Life with Billy 3 Leading Gemini Award- Road to Avonlea 3 winners after Sunday night, the Shadows and Liglvt: Joaquin third and final instalment of Rodrigo at 90 3 the awards celebrating The 5th Estate 3 excellence in English-language Tlus Hour Has 22 Minutes 3 TV: ComingofAge 2 Dieppe 2 Due South 5 Elvis: Airborne 2 Kurt Browning: You Must Street Cents 2 Hour Has 22 Minutes, (Salter Street Films) EARLE GREY AWARD SCTV Comedy Troupe, John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Catherine O'Hara, RickMoranis, Harold Ramis, Martin Short, Dave Thomas BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE IN A DRAMATIC PROGRAM OR MINI-SERIES Nancy Beatty, Life with Billy, (Salter Street FilmsThe Film Works) BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE IN A DRAMATIC PROGRAM OR MINI-SERIES Stephen McHattie, Life with Billy, (Salter Street FilmsAThe Entertainment) BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A CONTINUING LEADING DRAMATIC ROLE Paul Gross, Due South Due South: Free Willie, (Alliance Communications Corp.) BEST DRAMATIC SERIES Due SoutJi, producers Paul Haggis, Kathy Slevin, Jeff King, I I Film Works) CANADA AWARD For Angela, producers Joe MacDonald, Nancy Trites Botkin, (National Film Board of Canada Winnipeg) BEST DIRECTION IN A DRAMATIC PROGRAM OR MINI-SERIES Paul Donovan, Life with Billy, (Salter Street FilmsAThe Film Works) CHRYSLER'S CANADA'S CHOICE AWARD The Stanley Cup Finals BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A CONTINUING LEADING DRAMATIC ROLE Lally Cadeau, Road to Avonlea, (Sullivan the most important subsidies this country undertakes," he said at a lecture in Charleston, W.Va. The 68-year-old Belafonte also led the audience in a Belafonte chorus of one of his biggest hits, the Banana Boat Soig (a a Day-O).

Shelley longs for an end to that question Here's the story of a star named Shelley. Shelley Long, who plays Carol Brady in The Brady Bunch Movie, says people are STILL asking her why she left that bar in Boston. For the record: she's doing jusi fine, thank you, since her crilicized departure in 11)87 from the hit TV series Cheers. Shelley makes a long story short "I'm never going to give the answer that people or journalists want to hear," Long says in the March 11 issue of'iV Guide magazine. "I think llicy want to hear that I made a mistake." Tim Allen wins two People's Choice awards BROADCASTER Dave Hodge, TSN Inside Sports Dave Hodge Compilation Tape, (TSN) DONALD BRITTAIN AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY PROGRAM Shadows and Light: Joaquin Rodrigo at 90, producers Larry Weinstein, Niv Fichman, (Rhombus Media Inc.) BEST WRITING IN A DRAMATIC SERIES Kathy Slevin, Paul Haggis, Due South Due South: Free Willie, (Alliance Communication Corp.) BEST PERFORMANCE IN A COMEDY PROGRAM OR SERIES Mary Walsh, Rick Mercer, Cathy Jones, Greg Thomey, This X-Files says the show's producers considered recasting her role after she got pregnant.

"I heard a lot through the grapevine, and it was not comforting," she says in the March 11 issue of TV Guide magazine. But executive producer Chris Carter says the grapevine got it all wrong. "I never, ever considered replacing her. It's a lie. If anything I was the loudest Anderson voice saying we have to protect this show and this person," he says.

"We have to find a way to make this work." Anderson says she was nervous because she knew she was never the ideal choice for '7Jf iniiiliiai nor iTftil tiMtfn The Associated Press asked to list their favorite musicj TV shows and movies. The winners were: TV comedy series: Home Improvement, ABC. TV drama series: ER, NBC. New TV comedv series: (Tie) Ellen, ABC; Friends, NBC. New TV dramatic series: ER, NBC.

TV actor: Tim Allen. TV actress: Roseanne. Actor in a new TV series: Anthony Edwards. Actress in a new TV series: Ellen Degeneres. Movie: Forrest Gump.

Movie comedy: The Santa Clause. Movie drama: Forrest Gump. Actor in a movie comedy: Tim Allen. Actress in a movie comedy: VVhoopi Goldberg. Actor in a movie drama: Tom Hanks.

Actress in a movie drama: Jodie Foster. Male musical performer: Garth Brooks. Female musical performer: Ueba McKntire. Hock group: Aerosmith. Universal City, Calif.

Tim Allen was a double-winner in the People's Choice Awards on Sunday night for his roles on the ABC sitcom Home Improvement and the Christmas movie Tlie Santa Clause. Allen was chosen favorite male TV performer and favorite actor in a comedy motion picture. The hit movie Formsf Gump and NBC medical drama Eli also won two awards apiece. NBC's Friends and ABC's Ellen tied for the award as favorite new TV comedy series. Tim Daly and Annie Potts played host to an audience of TOO invited guests and fans at Universal Studios.

During the program, Hon Howard was given a special tribute for his film and TV career as an actor, director, producer and film executive. Unlike the Academy Awards and Grammys, the People's Choice Awards were determined by a poll of the public, rather than industry professionals. More than people were the part: "They wanted somebody leggier and somebody with more breasts, somebody drop-dead gorgeous." Anderson returned to work 10 days after her daughter Piper, now six months old, was born. She missed just one episode to start the second season. Hands off arts funding, says Belafonte Harry Belafonte says Republicans in Congress should enjoy their day-o in the limelight without cutting money for the arts.

"Careless, unthinking rascals in Washington, in verbose, unmindful and unintelligent ways, are attacking the funding of the arts," the singer-actor said Saturday night. Belafonte maintains that federal funds have helped countless artists and writers find their voices and styles. "Subsidizing the arts is one of I.