To keep its awards shows light and glamorous, all the Academy need do is continue giving prizes to Wendy Crewson.

Canada’s MOW queen has won three acting Geminis: for a guest role on Due South (1998) and for her lead turns in the TV movies At the End of the Day: The Sue Rodriguez Story (1999) and The Many Trials of One Jane Doe (2003). She also won a Humanitarian Award in 2002 for her work with the ALS Society.

For Crewson, the Canuck awards shows have become more glamorous over time.

‘When I first started going long ago, people got sort of dressed up, but not really,’ she recalls. ‘But that was us; that was very Canadian. You weren’t really going to dress up. It wasn’t really special, and you weren’t there to celebrate anything really good.’

For her part, Crewson went down to the States, starred in features such as Air Force One and The Santa Clause, attended some pretty big premieres, and decided to embark on a personal mission to glam up the local awards.

‘I thought, ‘Hang on a minute – we should be dressin’ up!” she says.

Now Crewson looks forward to going to the Genies and the Gems clad in the latest fashions from local designers, a concept brought to the shows by stylist Linda Gaylard.

But Crewson’s association with the Geminis may have forever been etched last year upon accepting her award for Jane Doe. Crewson, walking up to the podium, suddenly grabbed her unsuspecting presenter, CBC newsman Ian Hanomansing, and planted a passionate on-air smooch.

‘As soon as I saw Ian presenting the award I thought, ‘Omigod,

I’m so in love with Ian Hanomansing,” she recalled.’ ‘Ian Handsomeromancing’ we call him. And it suddenly flashed in my head, this picture of Adrien Brody kissing Halle [Berry at the Oscars]. But I haven’t been able to live it down, because now everywhere I go, everybody goes, ‘Oh, it’s ‘Kisser’ Crewson, here she comes!”