By ANIKA VAN WYK --

TV's favorite Mountie will be making an encore performance as the host of the Canadian Country Music Awards show on Monday.

Paul Gross, who most know and love from his starring role in Due South, did a great job of hosting last year's awards in Calgary and is looking forward to this year's show in Hamilton.

"It's a great time. It's an easy show to host because you don't have to be particularly entertaining -- the (country stars) are all there to do that for you," Gross told the Sun during a break in filming Due South.

"It's a really neat feeling backstage because everyone is having quite a good time.

"Unlike the Genie Awards where everyone is incredibly tense, this is actually a much looser type of people and a lot of fun," adds Gross, who also hosted the 1995 Gemini Awards.

One of Gross' highlights last year was when he comically promoted his own CD to the audience packed with the music industry's elite.

"I was shameless, wasn't I?" laughs Gross. "It's going to be even worse this year -- I'm going to sing a song ... I think.

"We have a couple of things up our sleeve."

Kidding aside, Gross has recorded an album -- with David Keeley -- titled Two Houses. He hopes it will hit shelves by mid-September.

When asked if there was anything he learned from hosting last year that he'll use this time around, he admits to having one regret.

"I called the Poverty Plainsmen the Prairie Plainsmen. I felt mortified," Gross says.

"Get the name of every band correct -- that's the most important thing I learned last year."

Surely the Saskatchewan band has forgiven Gross, especially considering he's so supportive of Canadian country music.


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