CBC's Michael, Heartland vying for Rockies Awards

CBC sitcom Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays and family drama Heartland are among the nominees for Rockies, the international television awards given each year at the Banff World Media Festival.

Michael: Tuesdays and Thursdays, a new series about an anxious therapist played by Bob Martin and his quirky patient played by Matt Watts, is competing in the sitcom category against shows such as The Big Bang Theory and The Big C.

The international television awards are dominated by U.K. and U.S. shows, but Canada has made a strong showing this year with 32 nominees on a list released late Friday. There are 26 categories, five of them for interactive projects.

CBC’s family series Heartland is nominated in the youth programs category, along with the long-running Degrassi franchise.

CBC mini-series John A: Birth of a Country is vying for best made-for-TV movie, competing against films from France, Japan and the Netherlands.

Other CBC productions and co-productions to be recognized:

• Wildlife and environmental programs: Broken Tail (international co-production)
• Reality series: Battle of the Blades. 
• Music and variety programs: The 2011 Gemini Awards.
• Soap operas: 30 Vies (30 Lives) by Radio-Canada.
• Branded entertainment: Radio-Canada’s 75th anniversary.
• Comedy: The Debaters.

Global’s Rookie Blue is nominated for its cross-platform project which invites viewers to help solve a police case. It is competing with two other Canadian interactive sites – for Murdoch Mysteries and Endgame. Discovery Canada’s  National Parks Project and History Canada’s From D-Day to Victory also were recognized for their cross-platform projects.

Other Canadian shows in competition:

• Animation programs: Stella and Sam.
• Non-fiction children’s programs: Finding Stuff Out, Là est la Question.
• Branded entertainment: Recipe to Riches, an amateur cooking show, H&M & MMVAs.
• Web series: Bar Code, The Next Day, Bear 71, Soldier Brother (all by NFB).
• Lifestyle and information: Princess, Income Property.
• Popular science: The Science of Sin.
• Continuing series: Hell on Wheels, Le Gentleman.
• Comedy: Kenny Hotz’s Triumph of the Will.
• Mini-series: The Crimson Petal and The White.

The winners of the Rockies Awards will be named June 12 in Banff, Alta., as part of the annual World Media festival.