PRESS

Sugar Sammy repeats as Olivier of the year winner

by ANNE LAGUá‹, PRESSE CANADIENNE
2014-05-12

MONTREAL — For a second straight year, Sugar Sammy won the Olivier of the year award Sunday during the 16th Gala les Olivier, Quebec's comedy awards.

Louis-José Houde, André Sauvé and the TV show Infoman have reason to celebrate after picked up multiple prizes at the gala.

Être, Sauvé's stage show, won three awards: best show, best writing (Sauvé) and best mise-en-scène (Josée Fortier).

Infoman got a perfect score, winning both categories it was nominated in — comedic TV series and comedic TV special (for its year-end special) — but Quebec's comedians probably congratulated themselves when Martin Petit climbed on stage to accept the trophy for best TV sitcom for his show Les Pêcheurs. The show, which he writes, features different Quebec comedians and actors in each episode, and Petit took the time to name them all in his acceptance speech.

Houde, who led with seven nominations, won the prize for best comedy DVD for his show Le Show Caché 2, and the most poular stage show for Les heures verticales.

Houde said during his acceptance speech that his Facebook page has 892 fans named Mélanie and he wanted to see that number climb to 1,000.

“I'm dreaming of going to a sugar shack with 1,000 Mélanies,” he said.

In the category of best radio program, Radio-Canada's à la semaine prochaine won the prize for the third straight year.

Quebec City Mayor Régis Labeaume was also honoured in the unofficial category of unintentional comedian, for a news conference he held in a restaurant, answering questions while eating pizza and fries.

The gala, hosted for the first time by François Morency, was no doubt a disappointment for Guy Nantel, who had three nominations. Dressed in a Canadiens jersey, he left empty-handed. Same thing for Boucar Diouf, Adib Alkhalidey, Laurent Paquin and Philippe Laprise, who had two nominations each.

Olivier winners:

Olivier of the year: Sugar Sammy

Breakout comedian: Simon Leblanc

Comedy show of the year: Être, by André Sauvé

Most popular comedy show: Les heures verticales, by Louis-José Houde

TV sitcom: Les Pêcheurs

TV comedy special: Infoman 2013

TV comedy series: Infoman

Writing: André Sauvé, for Être

Radio show: à la semaine prochaine, by Philippe Laguë, Pierre Verville, Michèle Deslauriers, Pierre Brassard, Alain Collin, Jean-Pierre Lambert

Comedy number: Les journées de fête, by François Bellefeuille

Comedy DVD: Le Show Caché 2, by Louis-José Houde

Comedy clip, sketch or column in new media: Fiston, by Jonathan Roberge

Mise en scène: Josée Fortier, Être by André Sauvé

Unintentional comedian: Régis Labeaume

© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette

 

Photograph by: Graham Hughes , The Canadian Press

Sugar Sammy holds up his trophy for best comedian of the year at the Gala Olivier awards ceremony in Montreal, Sunday, May 11, 2014.