24 Oct 2012
The 2012 Scotiabank Giller Prize will be broadcast on CBC Television at 9:00 p.m./ 9:30 p.m. NT on Tuesday, October 30, 2012.
Joining the top literary minds in Canada at the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Toronto on Tuesday, October 30, Olympic Gold Medal Trampoline Gymnast Rosie MacLennan is set to present at the 2012 Scotiabank Giller Prize gala. MacLennan will introduce Alix Ohlin’s novel Inside and join the other esteemed presenters, Rick Mercer, Kim Cattrall, Measha Brueggergosman and Allan Hawco on stage.
“I am thrilled to support this observance of literature, and I am flattered to share the stage with these incredible authors and presenters and join them in an evening of arts appreciation,” says MacLennan.
Adding to the evening’s thrilling events, frontman of multiplatinum, award-winning pop group Hedley, Jacob Hoggard will be performing an adapted version of "I Won't Let You Go (Darling)" from the album Storms. He will be accompanied on stage by a dance performance choreographed by Jorden Morris, Choreographer and former Principal Dancer with the prestigious Royal Winnipeg Ballet.
“I am honoured to be asked back to the Scotiabank Giller Prize to perform this year,” says Hoggard. “I admire the organization’s devotion to the celebration of arts and culture in Canada.”
The Scotiabank Giller Prize gala will be hosted by Jian Ghomeshi (CBC’s arts and culture program Q), and be broadcast live at 9:00 p.m. (9:30 p.m. NT) on CBC Television from the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Toronto. It will also be live-streamed on CBC Books with a concurrent live chat, so that many more Canadians can be part of the Giller experience. With a winner being crowned and awarded the prize that night, the presenters and performers will join the authors on stage to celebrate the year’s biggest achievements in Canadian literature and culture. The winner’s interview on Q the following morning will be the first national broadcast feature interview for this year’s winner.
The five finalists with a chance to win the $50,000 Scotiabank Giller Prize are:
Will Ferguson and his novel 419 (introduced by Rick Mercer)
Alix Ohlin and her novel INSIDE (introduced by Rosie MacLennan).
Nancy Richler and her novel THE IMPOSTER BRIDE (introduced by Kim Cattrall)
Kim Thúy and her novel RU (introduced by Measha Brueggergosman)
Russell Wangersky and his collection of short stories WHIRL AWAY (introduced by Allan Hawco)
About the Scotiabank Giller Prize
The Scotiabank Giller Prize awards $50,000 annually to the author of the best Canadian novel or short story collection published in English and $5,000 to each of the finalists. The Scotiabank Giller Prize is named in honour of the late literary journalist Doris Giller and was founded in 1994 by her husband Toronto businessman Jack Rabinovitch.
About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada's national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, Internet, and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions, CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages, plus seven languages for international audiences. In 2011, CBC/Radio-Canada is celebrating 75 years of serving Canadians and being at the centre of the democratic, social and cultural life of Canada.
About CBC Books
CBC Books features all of CBC’s rich literary content across all platforms - audio, video and digital. This one-stop destination for book lovers includes in-depth information on books, exclusive interviews with authors, the latest news stories from the publishing world, book reviews, best-seller lists, discussions and blogs. It’s an online meeting place where literary enthusiasts can find the books they want to read, connect with other Canadians who love to read as much as they do, and keep up on all of CBC’s major literary events and programs such as Canada Reads, the Massey Lectures and Canada Writes. Visit us at www.cbc.ca/books.
Scotiabank
Scotiabank is committed to supporting the communities in which we live and work, both in Canada and abroad, through our global philanthropic program, ‘Bright Future’. Recognized as a leader internationally and among Canadian corporations for our charitable donations and philanthropic activities, Scotiabank has provided on average approximately $45 million annually to community causes around the world over each of the last five years. Visit us at www.scotiabank.com.
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For more information, please contact:
Elana Rabinovitch
O: 416.934.0755
C: 416.275.5418
Dayna Shiskos
CBC Publicist
Dayna.Shiskos@cbc.ca
O: (416) 205-7973
C: (416) 420-5241