SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Always unpredictable and full of surprises, actor/comedian Jack Black will take viewers on a wild ride as he returns to host Nickelodeon's 2011 Kids' Choice Awards, premiering live on Saturday, April 2, at 8:00 p.m. (ET/Tape delayed for West Coast).  Back by popular demand, Black, who will star in the upcoming film Kung Fu Panda 2, returns for the third time (2006 and 2008) to host the ultimate kid experience from the all-new venue, the Galen Center at USC in Los Angeles. Honoring the hottest celebrities from music, TV, sports and film, viewers will embark on the most extreme, slime-tastic night to remember.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110210/NY46106 )

"Jack Black is the perfect mix of comedy, rock and star-power that will set the tone for an amazing show," said Marjorie Cohn, President, Original Programming and Development. Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group and Executive Producer of the show. "Jack is always an exciting host because of his unpredictability, incredible comedic timing and ability to connect with our audience. We're really excited to have him back."

This year, first-time nominees rule the categories as Nickelodeon's very own Big Time Rush nabbed two – one for Favorite TV Show (up against iCarly, The Suite Life on Deck and Wizards of Waverly Place), the other in the Favorite Music Group category (against Black Eyed Peas, Jonas Brothers and first-time nominee Lady Antebellum). Recording artist Train (nominated for "Hey, Soul Sister" in the Favorite Song category,) Bruno Mars (nominated for Favorite Male Singer) and Academy Award®-winner Tom Hanks (nominated for Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie for Toy Story 3) also scored first-time nominations. Gold medal Olympian Lindsey Vonn made her debut in the Favorite Female Athlete category against Danica Patrick, Serena Williams and Venus Williams.

Viewers will also vote on who kicked the most butt in film this year as Jackie Chan (The Karate Kid), Steve Carell (Despicable Me), Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man 2 and first-time nominee) and Will Ferrell (Megamind) compete for the Favorite Butt-Kicker award.

The animated movie categories are filled with star power as Cameron Diaz (Shrek Forever After), Eddie Murphy (Shrek Forever After), Tom Hanks (Toy Story 3) and Tim Allen (Toy Story 3) all received nominations for Favorite Voice in an Animated Movie.

In television, American Idol returns for its seventh nomination in Favorite Reality Show, up against America's Funniest Home Videos, America's Got Talent and Wipeout, while TV sidekicks battle it out as David Henrie, Jennette McCurdy, Noah Munck and Brenda Song compete for the Funniest Sidekick Category.

2011 KCA Nominees:

The complete list of nominees for Nickelodeon's 2011 Kids' Choice Awards are:

TELEVISION

Favorite TV Show

• Big Time Rush
• iCarly
• The Suite Life on Deck
• Wizards of Waverly Place

Favorite Reality Show

• American Idol
• America's Funniest Home Videos
• America's Got Talent
• Wipeout

Favorite TV Actor

• Joe Jonas
• Nick Jonas
• Cole Sprouse
• Dylan Sprouse

Favorite TV Actress

• Miranda Cosgrove
• Miley Cyrus
• Selena Gomez
• Victoria Justice

Funniest TV Sidekick

• David Henrie
• Jennette McCurdy
• Noah Munck
• Brenda Song

Favorite Cartoon

• The Penguins of Madagascar
• Phineas & Ferb
• Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated
• SpongeBob SquarePants

SPORTS

Favorite Male Athlete

• Peyton Manning
• Shaquille O'Neal
• Michael Phelps
• Shaun White

Favorite Female Athlete

• Danica Patrick
• Lindsey Vonn
• Serena Williams
• Venus Williams

FILM

Favorite Movie

• Alice in Wonderland
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
• The Karate Kid

Favorite Movie Actor

• Jack Black (Gulliver's Travels)
• Johnny Depp (Alice in Wonderland)
• Dwayne Johnson (Tooth Fairy)
• Jaden Smith (The Karate Kid)

Favorite Movie Actress

• Miley Cyrus (The Last Song)
• Ashley Judd (Tooth Fairy)
• Kristen Stewart (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse)
• Emma Watson (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1)

Favorite Animated Movie

• Despicable Me
• How to Train Your Dragon
• Shrek Forever After
• Toy Story 3

Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie

• Tim Allen (Toy Story 3)
• Cameron Diaz (Shrek Forever After)
• Tom Hanks (Toy Story 3)
• Eddie Murphy (Shrek Forever After)

Favorite Butt-Kicker

• Steve Carell (Despicable Me)
• Jackie Chan (The Karate Kid)
• Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man 2)
• Will Ferrell (Megamind)

MUSIC

Favorite Music Group

• Big Time Rush
• Black Eyed Peas
• Jonas Brothers
• Lady Antebellum

Favorite Male Singer

• Justin Bieber
• Bruno Mars
• Jay-Z
• Usher

Favorite Female Singer

• Miley Cyrus
• Selena Gomez
• Katy Perry
• Taylor Swift

Favorite Song

• "Baby" (by Justin Bieber, featuring Ludacris)
• "California Gurls" (by Katy Perry, featuring Snoop Dogg)
• "Hey, Soul Sister" (by Train)
• "Mine" (by Taylor Swift)

OTHER CATEGORIES

Favorite Book

• Diary of a Wimpy Kid series
• Dork Diaries
• Vampire Academy series
• Witch and Wizard series

Favorite Videogame

• Just Dance 2
• Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem
• Need for Speed:  Hot Pursuit
• Super Mario Galaxy 2

KCA Voting

Kids will be able to cast their votes online at http://www.nick.com/kca11 beginning March 7 in a total of 20 categories. Surprise awards also will be announced during the show. Kids also will be able to vote via the Nick mobile website http://m.nick.com/kca11 and through a brand-new iPhone application. For the first time ever, KCA voting will be extended to an iPad-optimized site, TeenNick.com, and the Nickelodeon Facebook page, facebook.com/nickelodeon.

Leading up to the show, viewers can access clips and photos from past Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards on www.Nick.com/kca11, along with current promotions for the show, dedicated information pages on the host and nominees, digital Fan Kits, a KCA news blog, behind-the-scenes video of stars prepping for the KCAs, daily polls, quizzes and two new KCA-themed online games.  In addition, fans can enter on Nick.com to get the chance to walk the Orange Carpet with Big Time Rush in this year's KCA sweepstakes.

Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards will be available on Video On Demand beginning April 3.  KCA clips and shorts will also be available on Nickelodeon's mobile VOD and online syndication partners. 

Presenting sponsors of Nickelodeon's 2011 Kids' Choice Awards are Burger King, General Mills, Hasbro and General Motors. Associate sponsors are Nintendo, Procter & Gamble, Kraft, Skechers and Kmart.

Last year, Nickelodeon's 2010 Kids' Choice Awards hosted by Kevin James slimed its way to stand as the second biggest KCAs ever in the show's 23-year history, averaging 7.6 million total viewers (P2+.)  With kids, the live telecast scored 10.5/3.7 million K2-11. The star-studded telecast scored the most votes in the show's history—a record 118 million (+30%, over last year) votes were cast from Feb. 25 – March 27.  Nick.com celebrated its highest trafficked day ever on March 27, driven by 38.4 million page views (+3%).  The KCA site also garnered 1.2 million visitors on March 27th, up +10% over last year's performance.  The KCA live webcams also generated 1.5 million streams, up +240% over the previous year. 

The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards is broadcast in more than 300 million households globally on Nickelodeon channels around the world.  Nickelodeon in Canada will air the 2011 KCAs live and especially produced localized versions of the show, featuring regional categories and winners, will air in select markets across Europe.  Fans around the world will have the opportunity to vote online, through local web sites, to decide which of their favorite nominees takes home the coveted KCA blimp. 

Nickelodeon's 24th Annual Kids' Choice Awards is being produced by Nickelodeon Productions in association with Bob Bain Productions.  This year's telecast will feature Saturday Night Live veteran Beth McCarthy as director.  Bob Bain, Marjorie Cohn and Paula Kaplan are executive producers.  Media outlets can reference the most up-to-date information on Nickelodeon's 24th Annual Kids' Choice Awards by logging onto www.NickKCApress.com

About Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon, now in its 31st year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in almost 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 15 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).

SOURCE Nickelodeon