Photos: Andy Boreham - UP The idea of presenting an award has long been a deep-set fear of mine. I'm not sure why, it's not exactly an extreme sport. At some stage my over-active imagination decided that if it were me up there, I'd be struck with a sudden case of tourettes and shout out the name of the winner as soon as I got on stage. So it was with some trepidation that I arrived at the 2005 Glammie Awards, friend Serena in tow, to present the GayNZ.com award for Business Professional of the Year. Following a trail of glitter and feathers that had worked their way free from Glammie outfits, we ran up the steps of Parliament. We were late, but not – as it turns out – as late as Pollyfilla, who was hosting the occasion. So we had time to enjoy the atmosphere of Parliament's Grand Hall, which had been given the Queer Eye treatment. Not that fun-fur and leopard print would probably have been the Fab 5's first choice. But still – how many other countries in the world would allow the nation's power-house to be filled with a bunch of queers in sequins for the evening? Not many, if any. There was a definite sense of occasion under the grand archways. As people stood chatting, greeting each other with wafted kisses and waving elegantly gloved arms, there was almost a sense of history and patriotism in the air. Perhaps that's why it was so disappointing to be brought down to earth with a cash-only table of wine labeled “White”, and packaged sandwiches ala Mobil. Soon though, Polly was ready and it was on with the show. I was desperately trying to watch the first few awards, making sure I knew where to find the envelope and when to open it. But I'd chosen my seat badly. Unfortunately, I couldn't see anything over Miss Gloriousole's hair. The early performances sounded great but I can't tell you what they looked like. Luckily Miss Gloriousole's time came to perform, leaving me with a clear view to the stage just in time for Nichola Gerard to read a selection of her original poetry. I'm not usually big on poetry readings, but for me it was one of the evening's unexpected highlights – an emotive, subtly humourous insight into transgender life. It brought a tear to Georgina Beyer's eye, and a few others besides. Other performances of note include Val Little as Tina Tuna with the Orange Roughies, the Drag Kings – always adding a much-needed dose of Boy Band to any occasion – and Ryan McFagden as the hilarious Princess Hans from Germany. The awards themselves were a mix of fun and serious, ranging from "Cutest Boy/Girl" to "Lifetime Achievement Award for Commitment to the Queer Community". The latter was won by Georgina Beyer, who scooped a fair collection of Glammies in several categories - and never missed an opportunity to put a word in for Labour, a week out from the election. However, she dedicated her award to Brian Tamaki, who she credited with her decision to stay in Parliament – something we can all thank him for. Brian in fact won his own award for "Best Gay Hair," though why Peter Dunne was never nominated I'm not sure. Marion Hobbs and Tim Barnett were also present to plug the Labour party vote, though the biggest cheer of the night went to Madeline Drew who, on receiving her award, managed to grab a chance to refreshingly shout “Party vote Green!” Madeline, one of last year's Uni-Q co-ordinators at Victoria, received an award for her work on the Civil Union campaign. My turn to present the award arrived, and I nervously made my way to the side of the stage. To my huge relief, the names of the nominees were written on the outside a well-sealed envelope, and nobody had whispered the name of the winner to me beforehand. I even enjoyed it! Such great drama standing on stage saying “And the Glammie goes to….” Very Oscars. The GayNZ.com Glammie went to Mal