Actor/Comedian Kevin James Tapped to Host Nickelodeon's 23rd Annual Kids' Choice Awards Saturday, March 27 Live From Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Movie and television star Kevin James (Paul Blart: Mall Cop, The King of Queens and the upcoming films Zookeeper and Grown Ups ) will host Nickelodeon's 23rd Annual Kids' Choice Awards, airing live from UCLA's Pauley Pavilion on Saturday, March 27 (8-9:30 p.m. ET/PT). The slime will flow for the no-holds-barred kudo/mess-fest on the night kids rule and get to honor their favorites from the worlds of film, music, sports and television.

(Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100216/NY55561 )

"Simply put, Kevin James is hilarious," said Marjorie Cohn, Executive Vice President, Development and Original Programming, Nickelodeon and an Executive Producer of the telecast.  "Kids love his willingness to play and be outrageous and with Kevin as our host, we're looking forward to our funniest show ever."

"I have been lucky enough to live more than my share of dreams -- a hit TV show, a hit movie, a beautiful family, and, of course, that prize-winning watermelon I grew last summer," said James.  "Yet throughout it all, I've had this nagging feeling that my journey wasn't complete.  Oh, sure, it's been quite a ride, but it lacked something… something green, slimy, oozing, slippery and dangerous!  That's right -- there's been no slime… until today!   In short, I guess you could say hosting the Kids' Choice Awards completes me."

Vampires, monsters and robots dominated the movie categories with The Twilight Saga: New Moon sinking its teeth into five nominations for Favorite Movie, Favorite Book (The Twilight Series), Taylor Lautner for Favorite Movie Actor and its "Cutest Couple" duos, Rob Pattinson/Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner/Kristen Stewart.  Monsters vs. Aliens nabbed three nominations for Favorite Animated Movie and Favorite Voice in an Animated Movie (Seth Rogen, Reese Witherspoon) and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen crushed with three nods for Favorite Movie, Favorite Movie Actor (Shia LeBeouf) and Favorite Movie Actress (Megan Fox).  Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel and X-Men Origins: Wolverine also got nods for Favorite Movie, while Zac Efron (17 Again), Tyler Perry (Madea Goes to Jail), Sandra Bullock (The Proposal. The Blind Side) and Zoe Saldana (Avatar) compete in the Favorite Movie Actor and Favorite Movie Actress categories.

Three-time Kids' Choice winner Miley Cyrus, scored four nominations: one each for Favorite TV Actress (Hannah Montana), Favorite Movie Actress (Hannah Montana: The Movie), Favorite Female Singer and Favorite Song (Party in the USA).  Brother acts Sprouse and Jonas are television category favorites, each with three nominations for Favorite TV Show (The Suite Life on Deck) and TV Actor (Dylan Sprouse, Cole Sprouse) and Favorite Music Group (Jonas Brothers) and TV Actor (Joe Jonas, Nick Jonas), respectively.  Miranda Cosgrove, Keke Palmer and Selena Gomez round out the Favorite TV Actress nominees, with Sonny with a Chance, Wizards of Waverly Place and 2009 KCA winner iCarly also competing for Favorite TV Show.  

Two time KCA winner Beyonce, makes the list again to compete in the Favorite Female Singer category against Miley Cyrus (Party in the USA), Lady Gaga (Paparazzi) and Taylor Swift (You Belong With Me), who are also nominated for Favorite Song.  All newcomers to the category, Jay-Z, Sean Kingston, Mario and Ne-Yo are Favorite Male Singer nominees while Coldplay, Linkin Park, Black Eyed Peas and 2009 KCA winners Jonas Brothers are among the contenders for Favorite Musical Group.

First time Kids' Choice nominees President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will compete in the brand new category for "Cutest Couple" against Twilight love triangle heart throbs Rob Pattinson/Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner/Kristen Stewart and Avatar hotties Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana.  The new category was chosen last year by kids who were asked to submit their ideas for new favorites they would most like to see added to the 2010 show.

The nominees for Nickelodeon's 23rd Annual Kids' Choice Awards are:

Nickelodeon's 2009 Kids' Choice Awards was the highest rated to date, shattering all previous records with kids, tweens and total viewers. Almost 8 million total viewers tuned in for the show, with a record-breaking 91 million votes cast across Nick's digital platforms, leading www.Nick.com to its highest trafficked day ever in visits, uniques and page views.

Kids will be able to cast their vote online at http://www.nick.com/kca10 beginning Feb. 25 in a total of 19 categories. Surprise awards also will be announced during the show.  Kids also will be able to vote via the Nick mobile website (wap.nick.com) and through a KCA iPhone app.  

Leading up to the award show, the Kids' Choice Awards website on Nick.com will feature clips and photos from past awards shows, current promotions for the 23rd Annual Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards, dedicated information pages on the host and nominees, digital Fan Kits, behind-the-scenes video of stars prepping for the KCAs and three new KCA-themed online games.  

On March 27, Nick.com will serve as the interactive second-screen experience for all things Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards, giving kids an insider's look at the entire live event and from the orange carpet. Exclusive Nick.com webcams will give kids control of their viewing experience, and will be featured alongside celebrity tweets, interactive polls, and real-time updates and photos from the event.  Kids can also access the webcams through the KCA 2010 iPhone app.  The online experience will also feature an audience meter that tracks audience reactions throughout the webcast.  After the show, kids can catch all the KCA highlights on the website.  

Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards will be simulcast on FLO TV's mobile streaming service, and will be available on Video On Demand beginning March 28.  KCA clips and shorts will also be available on Nickelodeon's mobile VOD and online syndication partners. 

Presenting sponsors of Nickelodeon's 23rd Annual Kids' Choice Awards are Burger King, General Mills and Hasbro.  Associate sponsors are Kmart, Kraft, Nintendo, Procter & Gamble and Skechers.

The U.S. Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards is broadcast in more than 300 million households across Nickelodeon's international channels.  For the first time ever, the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards will be simulcast on Nickelodeon in Canada, and special localized versions of the show will also be created and aired across Europe. Fans in multiple markets will have the opportunity to vote online for their favorite local stars in region-specific categories.

Nickelodeon's 23rd 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 23rd Annual Kids' Choice Awards by logging onto www.NickKCApress.com.

Last year Kevin James starred in, produced, and co-wrote the box office hit Paul Blart: Mall Cop.  Audiences can next see him headlining the MGM feature Zookeeper, which he also produced, and starring in Columbia Pictures' Grown Ups with Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, David Spade, and Rob Schneider.  Previously James and Sandler worked together on I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007). In addition to his on-camera work, James's voice has been featured in the animated films Barnyard (2006) for Nick Movies and Columbia Pictures' Monster House (2006).

James broke into the film world in 2005 in Columbia Pictures' Hitch starring opposite Will Smith, but his comedy career started well before that as a stand-up on the Long Island comedy scene.  After being discovered at the 1996 Montreal Comedy Festival, he signed a network development deal to create his own sitcom.

James starred in and executive produced The King of Queens, which premiered in 1998 and ran for nine seasons on CBS.  The series garnered him an Emmy nomination in 2006 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.  The show continues to air daily in syndication across the country and around the world.

In 2001, James brought his stand-up act to TV with Sweat the Small Stuff, a one-hour special for Comedy Central.  In 2005 Kevin James and Ray Romano executive produced and starred in the HBO Sports Special Making the Cut: The Road to Pebble Beach; a documentary about the Pebble Beach Pro Am Golf Tournament that was nominated for a Sports Emmy.

About Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon, now in its 30th 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

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