SANTA MONICA, CA — 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.

"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 Nominations

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"

Last year, "Nickelodeon's2010 ""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&8212;a record 118 million (+30%, over last year) votes were cast from February 25 &8211; 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.