REGINA - Michael Buble says for two nights in a row he has dreamt of nothing but hosting the Juno Awards.
"Literally, I have in my dreams, gone through from beginning to end my opening, middle and closing and hoping that it all works," Buble said Saturday.
"It's important to me. It means a lot to me. This is my country. I mean these are my peers."
The Canadian crooner will take to the stage Sunday night to host the Juno Awards, which will also feature performances by Carly Rae Jepsen and Marianas Trench.
The Burnaby, B.C., native, says he remembers watching the show as a little boy and hosting is a big honour.
Buble says he's also happy that this year the Junos are being held in Regina. The awards have taken over Saskatchewan's capital city, with music fans packing into live shows and swarming artists at Fan Fare, an autograph event held at a downtown mall.
"Not to put down Vancouver or Toronto, but there's definitely a huge buzz when you come to somewhere like this, that's the truth," said Buble.
"They're just really excited to have it and you can feel it in the air, I think there's a great rush."
The last time the Junos were in Saskatchewan was in 2007 when Nelly Furtado hosted in Saskatoon. Furtado had several wardrobe changes, at one point sporting thigh high black boots.
Buble jokes that he won't be showing any skin.
"I want to keep viewers watching, so no," he said.
"I wanted this to be fun and I want it to be loose and I want to laugh at myself and I want to make sure that this night, as much as I'm hosting, this is not about me. This is about a bunch of great acts, in a country that's got a lot to offer, coming together and celebrating its greatness for a night."
Buble has put a lot of time into the show.
Much like his music, he's been writing his own material for the show, labouring over ideas.
The 37-year-old has become known for his wit, making self-deflating appearances on "Saturday Night Live" and with Jimmy Fallon creating a viral sensation in a video where he lampooned several pop stars, including Justin Bieber.
"Sunday night, I will live by my pen or die by my pen," he said.
"I will either be really funny or you guys will think I'm just crap. I hope it's the first one. I think it's really funny. I mean I've worked my butt off."
"Yeah, it's a lot of pressure, but the closer I get to it, the more I work on it, the more excited I am because I can feel it all coming together. I think there's going to be moments of silliness and there'll be laughter, but I hope that there's some of it that's endearing too and honest," he added.
So in the dream, how did the show go?
"I was...awesome," he jokes. "I told my buddy...I said I killed it. I was like 'Oh, I killed it,' but it's fun, you'll see."
