It finally happened. After the pandemic forced the shutdown of the entertainment industry's award season, organizers have regrouped and featured virtual presentations to honour their colleagues.
In this mash-mash of awards presented across North America, three have a local connection.
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards
These are Edmonton’s equivalent to Broadway’s Tony Awards for live theatre. On Monday, June 29, these awards honoured regional actors offering all the highlights through a pre-recorded online YouTube video.
Jenny McKillop, raised in St. Albert, was lauded for her outstanding Fringe performance in the comedy “You Are Happy.” In the anti-romantic comedy, McKillop plays Bridgette, a sister who rescues her suicidal brother and finds a girlfriend for him.
The award was McKillop’s fourth nomination and first win.
Juno Awards
Celeigh Cardinal, a former Morinville resident, won the Indigenous Artist or Group Award of the Year for “Stories from a Downtown Apartment.”
Instead of walking the red carpet, the Métis singer-songwriter watched the award ceremony from home aired during a special virtual presentation on CBC.
The COVID-19 pandemic postponement from an in-person Saskatoon weekend in March was reorganized into a one-and-a-half hour prerecorded special presentation on Monday, June 29.
Former St. Albert singer-songwriter Aaron Goodvin was also nominated for his country album “V,” but was beat out by Meghan Patrick’s “Wild As Me.”
Daytime Emmy Awards
The 47th annual celebratory awards were handed out on Friday, June 26, during a virtual ceremony that aired on CBS. The awards salute the best soap operas, talk shows and game shows.
Jason Thompson, who was raised in St. Albert, was the recipient for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Thompson plays Billy Abbott on "The Young and the Restless," a character the actor once stated was fun to play because he is “all over the place.”
Alberta's Kelly Streit from Mode Models discovered the then-18-year-old aspiring model-actor working as a server at Earl’s Tin Palace on Jasper Ave. Within a year, Thompson was working on Europe’s runways and slowly transitioned into Los Angeles' film industry.
He cut his acting teeth on a series of forgettable parts before landing the plum role of neurosurgeon Dr. Patrick Drake on "General Hospital." Thompson was nominated five times during his stint with "General Hospital."
As Billy Abbott on "The Young and the Restless," Thompson receives his first Emmy Award.
