The Gala of the 39it is The Gémeaux Prize was launched with a festive opening number where host Pierre-Yves Lord sang that “39 is almost 40” years, listing several reasons to celebrate Quebec television and its artisans.
At around 8 p.m., singers and dancers took to the stage at the Théâtre Maisonneuve at Place-des-Arts.
Pierre-Yves Lord, who is hosting the gala for a second year after taking over from Véronique Cloutier, highlighted various anniversaries that have marked the world of television. Among them were the 693 episodes of the humorous news magazine Infoman and the four years of the Noovo channel.
A tribute was also paid to the journalist and writer Janette Bertrand, who at 99 years old, “is almost 100 years old,” the presenter stressed.
Marc Labrèche won the first Gémeaux of the evening, for the best interview or talk show, with I come to you.
Earlier Sunday, the opening gala of the Gémeaux Awards presented 46 awards. The third season of the show Club Soly and season two of Plan B came out on top at this first gala, with three trophies each.
The very popular show STAT is largely absent from the categories on Sunday, due to disputes that have arisen in the last year and which have led production companies to boycott the gala.
Fans of the series will still be able to vote for it as part of the “Prix Gémeaux du public Fonds Cogeco”. The show will compete against nine other popular series.