By Diane Wild of TV, eh?

After seconds of thought put into the name, days of Industry Galas where a baffling variety of untelevised awards were dispensed, weeks of pondering which nominees might prevail, months of wondering about the combined Gemini (TV) and Genie (film) ceremonies, and years of neglect from viewing audiences for both, the Canadian Screen Awards will have a two-hour live broadcast tonight on CBC at 8 pm across Canada (8:30 in Newfoundland). Which means not live at all in most time zones. [Edit: It’s even worse – the ceremony is taped this afternoon and the Academy will have a webcast of the winners before the broadcast.]

Rachel Langer has been reporting for TV, eh? on the industry galas in Toronto and will do so for tonight’s festivities as well – check out twitter and her on-the-spot interviews.

Host Martin Short will preside over a ceremony that doesn’t include the format that made him a star. Rick Mercer Report already won the Screenie (please, let’s come with with a better nickname) for Best Music, Variety, Sketch Comedy or Talk Program or Series, and the Best Comedy award will apparently be presented outside of the live broadcast. Perhaps CBC is protesting that category because Call Me Fitz absurdly wasn’t nominated but Good God and Kenny Hotz were. OK, probably not.

Other notable snubs include Best Drama non-nominees The LA Complex, Murdoch Mysteries and Republic of Doyle.

The most glaring head-scratcher is host Short’s own nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Comedic Role for the one-time special I, Martin Short, Goes Home. I suppose it’s undeniable Martin Short continues to be Martin Short and he does make a wonderful Martin Short.

Canadian film will be celebrated tonight as well, but since that’s outside the purview of this site I can safely admit I’ve seen none of the nominees (though I very much want to see Midnight’s Children and Rebelle/War Witch if I can find them anywhere).

The film community stands to benefit more from the new award structure, with the television nominations drawing more eyeballs to the broadcast. Those television nominations that actually made the cut, that is.

A full list of nominees is here . Who are your favourites to win?

From the Canadian Press:

Pre-show accolades: See who’s won Canadian Screen Awards so far
Flashpoint, Call Me Fitz and John A: Birth of a Country head into Sunday’s inaugural Canadian Screen Awards in the lead with four trophies each after an industry gala Thursday night handed out most of the prizes celebrating homegrown TV. Read more.

From Kate Taylor of the Globe and Mail:

See ya, Genies. Bye-bye, Geminis: What’s at stake at Sunday’s Canadian Screen Awards?

The stage of the Sony Centre in Toronto is crawling with technicians, busy building the lighting rig and erecting the set for the brand-new Canadian Screen Awards. Chatting with producers in the auditorium, comedian Martin Short, who will host the awards Sunday, is offering free advice: The new prize doesn’t have a nickname yet. Read more.

From Katherine Monk of the National Post:

Can the star power of the Canadian Screen Awards make us care?
They were stunted by our natural gift for self-effacement from the very beginning: In 1947, governor-general Viscount Alexander felt it would be too grandiose to have the new film and broadcast awards named in his honour, so the clutch of cultural mavens in charge were forced to ponder different names. Read more.