VANCOUVER - The bulk of the hardware has already been handed out, but Sunday's Juno Awards still look wide open.
Montreal indie rockers the Stills were the only two-time winners at a private dinner ceremony held Saturday, the day before the main show, which will be televised on CTV (check local listings).
Alanis Morissette took pop album of the year for "Flavors of Entanglement," Montreal's Sam Roberts took rock album of the year for "Love at the End of the World" and Coldplay took international album of the year for "Viva La Vida."
The British rock group left a video message in which frontman Chris Martin joked the band was stranded at the border because someone in the band had raw produce in his bag.
"We've been told we won something, which is fantastic, unfortunately we're stuck in immigration and we can't get in to your country," Martin said. "It looks like we're disrespecting, that's not the case at all."
In the evening's biggest upset, Toronto rapper Kardinal Offishall took single of the year for his slick dance-floor anthem "Dangerous," which toppled such big-name competitors as Celine Dion, Michael Buble and Nickelback.
The Hanna, Alta., rockers led with five nominations going into the Juno Awards, but were shut out in two categories that were awarded Saturday.
But don't count Chad Kroeger and his bandmates out just yet. They're still up for the fan choice award, album of the year and group of the year Sunday.
Some of the other marquee nominated names also still hold hope for a glass statuette.
Dion is still up for the fan choice award while Bryan Adams and k.d. lang are still in the running for artist of the year.
The Stills, meanwhile, won't see their tally climb any higher -- their nominations in alternative album of the year and new group of the year were the only nods they received.
The nomination for new group of the year was a bit strange, given that the band released its debut, "Logic Will Break Your Heart," in 2003 -- a fact that frontman Tim Fletcher made reference to with an irony-laden acceptance speech.
"When we started this band six months ago, we never thought that things would move so quickly for us," he joked. "And I feel like we're really only getting to know each other.
"Seriously, this is the first award we've ever won, so it's pretty cool. This ensures that we'll continue to work together and keep making music for years to come, so thank you guys very much."
Abbotsford, B.C., pop-punk band Hedley have three of their nominations remaining, while Quebec gypsy jazz outfit Lost Fingers and Montreal rockers Simple Plan have two each.
But if Saturday was any indication, this year's Juno voters were rarely swayed simply by name recognition.
Serena Ryder, a singer/songwriter from Millbrook, Ont., who admitted she was uncomfortable in a fancy dress and "heels that (she) would never really wear," took adult alternative album of the year over better-known artists including Ron Sexsmith, Hawksley Workman and Kathleen Edwards.
"They are amazing musicians and they deserve this just as much or more than I do," she said.
But perhaps no win was more surprising than Kardinal Offishall's.
The veteran MC -- who would seem to have rap recording of the year all but wrapped up going into Sunday's show -- seemed a severe underdog given that his competitors had won a combined 35 Juno Awards going into the show.
"Dangerous," a club-friendly come-on to a nameless femme fatale that features American crooner Akon, hit No. 2 on the Canadian Billboard chart and No. 5 in the United States.
Kardinal Offishall wasn't in attendance, but left behind a surreal taped message -- "Single of the year, absolutely crazy," he said -- that curiously ended with an associate shaving his chin with an electric razor.
Of course, sometimes the favourites took home the hardware.
The Barenaked Ladies won children's album of the year for "Snacktime!" and thanked former frontman Steven Page, who recently left the band.
"I'd like to send a word of love out to Steven Page, who was also a part of this record," said multi-instrumentalist Kevin Hearn.
Celebrated artist Buffy Sainte-Marie took the aboriginal album of the year award for "Running for the Drum," and said that the multitude of awards she's won in the past didn't make it any less meaningful.
"Gee, I'm very much surprised and grateful," she said backstage afterward. "I got an Academy award and a Golden Globe and a Gemini and a buncha stuff, but ... the Junos are a big deal in Canada, and the show is seen around the world, so to be acknowledged for the fun I've had is a real treat."
Vancouver-based songstress Sarah McLachlan was honoured with the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award for her charity work. She was serene and composed as she explained that her passion for philanthropy began during a trip to Thailand and Cambodia she took in 1991.
"I came back forever changed, with a newer understanding of how incredibly lucky I was and all the things I'd taken for granted up to that point," she said. "Giving back is simple, it feels good and it feels right, and it's my way of thanking the universe for all I've been given."
Roberts was in a similarly giving mood when he accepted his award. Clad in a red plaid button-down, he hugged each member of his band before settling behind the microphone, then went on to praise each of his competitors.
"We are in a category that has people who have inspired us over the years to no end," he said. "This has been a wonderful pause on our tour, and we'll remember this forever."
The show featured more flair than might be expected considering it wasn't broadcast on television, but many artists weren't in attendance to claim their awards.
Montreal experimental hip-hop group Beast opened the show with a thumping performance, while Nikki Yanofsky impressed with a lovely medley of Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child" and "I Got Rhythm."
The 15-year-old Montreal phenom dropped vocal jazz album of the year to Molly Johnson but is nominated for new artist of the year at Sunday's ceremony.
Humble, who won for reggae album of the year, provided a touching moment when he fought back tears onstage before thanking the Toronto neighbourhood in which he grew up, Rexdale.
Contemporary jazz album of the year winner Jane Bunnett, conversely, kept things loose with some oddball antics. Onstage, she joked that she was having a nervous breakdown, then later posed with the Juno perched atop her head backstage.
Meanwhile, Feist's "Honey Honey" was named video of the year, Doc Walker of Portage La Prairie, Man., picked up their first Juno in five tries for country recording of the year and Toronto singer Divine Brown took the R&B/soul recording of the year for "The Love Chronicles" and afterward said she didn't prepare a speech.
"I didn't want it to sound cold, you know?" she said.
Songwriter of the year will also be announced on Sunday, while Vancouver rock mainstays Loverboy will be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
