Glee star Monteith anticipates Gemini gig
Robert Carlyle, Elvis Costello add star wattage to Gemini telecast
Reached last month in Los Angeles, Monteith was tight-lipped about possible Glee -inspired comedy bits for Saturday's telecast.
Homegrown favourites like Flashpoint, Less Than Kind, SGU Stargate Universe, and Durham County are vying for the awards recognizing the best in Canadian television.
"There is no better school of live performance than a sold out concert tour, so if you're going to learn quickly about live performance, that's probably the way to do it," Monteith said about the hosting gig, which airs on Global and Showcase.
"As far as hosting duties are concerned, I'm super excited, and I'm up for the challenge. I hope that I will rise to the occasion."
This will be Monteith's second appearance at the Geminis — he performed at last year's bash in Calgary, when he played drums for Canadian Idol winner Theo Tams and Loverboy's Mike Reno as they charged through the rock classic Working For the Weekend.
This year's musical heavyweight is poised to be veteran rocker Elvis Costello, who is nominated for best talk series for his show Spectacle: Elvis Costello with... and is slated to perform with Feist and Ron Sexsmith.
Flashpoint, Less Than Kind among nominees
Big contenders for awards include CTV cop drama Flashpoint, up for six trophies; HBO Canada's Less Than Kind, up for six honours, including three acting nods and two writing nods; and Space's SGU, with four nominations, including acting nods for leads Robert Carlyle and Louis Ferreira.
"I'll take another one."
Although best known as a dramatic film actor for acclaimed turns in Angela's Ashes, Trainspotting and The Full Monty, the Scottish performer said he's grown comfortable in his new role as a sci-fi fixture.
He was initially doubtful about the SGU gig but was convinced to try the genre when he read the script and was impressed by his complex character, a brilliant but Machiavellian scientist.
"One of the first things I said to the guys was, 'I'm flattered, but why do you want me to do it? It's not really my bag; it's not what I'm known to do'," said Carlyle, noting that the Vancouver-based series was bent on landing an international star that could pull in a broad audience.
"Through the conversations with them, I began to realize that if it wasn't going to be me, it was going to be someone like me, that's for sure. They were serious about what they wanted to do. And they haven't let me down."
Famous faces to present
Other stars set to appear on the Gemini broadcast include presenters Grace Park of Hawaii Five-O (and, formerly, Battlestar Galactica), Enrico Colantoni of Flashpoint and Canadian gold-medallist ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir.
The Gemini gala will also pay tribute to Degrassi, with appearances from alumni, including Nina Dobrev, Stefan Brogren and Amanda Stepto.
Two earlier ceremonies have already recognized news, sports, youth and lifestyle programs, awarding seven trophies to the CTV-led broadcast consortium that presented the Vancouver Winter Games.
Monteith says he's eager to try out his burgeoning performance chops at the Gemini bash, crediting Glee with forcing him to become an all-round entertainer.
Still, he doubts he'll ever really learn to dance, noting that possessing two left feet is something he has in common with his jock TV character, the groove-challenged Finn.
"Especially as a singer, I feel confident — I feel well-poised to tackle harder stuff," he says.
"As a dancer, I think I'm always going to be strangely awkward, and I don't think that ever will or should change, to be totally honest with you."