:: Australian Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2010

By: Carmine Pascuzzi

The biggest event on a kids’ calendar is coming! Every Australian kid’s wildest dreams will come true on Friday, October 8 when the 8th annual Australian Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards returns to the Entertainment Centre in Sydney. Promising an ‘orange carpet’ featuring hot Australian and international celebrities, plus rockin’ music acts, comedic moments and bucket‐loads of slime – this year’s awards are set to be the biggest kids’ party on the planet!

The names of this year’s co‐hosts and presenters are still being kept under wraps, but the stars are sure to be a big hit with kids, just like previous celebrities who have taken part in the Australian KCA’s, such as Delta Goodrem, Miranda Cosgrove, Joel and Benji Madden, Zac Efron, Jesse McCartney, WWE megastar John Cena, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Rove McManus, Ricki‐Lee, The Veronicas and Short Stack.

Over 2 million viewers tuned in to watch the Australian Kids’ Choice Awards on Nickelodeon last year. It’s the only awards show that gives young people the power to say who they think should be given a coveted Nick Blimp award for categories such as Fave Movie Star, Fave Song, Fave Sports Star and Fave Aussie.

Tickets are now on sale and are available through Ticketmaster or phone 1300 883 622. Last year’s coveted tickets sold out in just under two weeks and, although capacity has been increased to almost 5000 this year due to high demand, kids and parents will need to be quick to avoid disappointment.

The show is on Friday, October 8 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre.
The telecast will start at 7.00pm on the Nickelodeon Channel

**************************************************

**Update as at September 20**

Following on from the hosting announcement of JESSICA MAUBOY, LIAM HEMSWORTH and iCarly’s JERRY TRAINOR, Nickelodeon has also announced that this year’s KCA’s will feature a shining line-up of stars presenting on stage - and for the first time ever, things will be kicked off with a LIVE Orange Carpet music performance, by U.S. star DRAKE BELL from Nickelodeon’s Drake & Josh show!

Strutting their stuff on the KCA stage as presenters will be Australia’s Next Top Model final three contestants, KELSEY MARTINOVICH, SOPHIE VAN DEN AKKER and AMANDA WARE, along with ANTM judge CHARLOTTE DAWSON. Adding to the glamour girl contingent will be former Miss Universe Australia and Dancing with the Stars celebrity RACHAEL FINCH, who is nominated for the Hottest Hottie award. At KCA FINCH will get to catch up with Biggest Loser fitness guru MICHELLE BRIDGES, who was a semi-finalist with her in last year’s Celebrity Masterchef.

This year’s mega-popular Masterchef winner ADAM LIAW will be joining runner-up CALLUM HANN on the slime stage, and these kings of the kitchen are sure to be crowd pleasers for all ages! The boys are also strong contenders for a coveted blimp trophy, with their joint nomination for Fave TV Star. Also to make an appearance will be the king of cravats: food critic extraordinaire and Masterchef and Junior Masterchef judge, MATT PRESTON.

MTV’s RUBY ROSE will again bring some beautiful edge to the Kids’ Choice Awards, along with fellow MTV presenter ERIN MCNAUGHT. More beauty will be brought to the stage in the form of young actresses CARIBA HEINE, and INDIANA EVANS from upcoming sci-fi thriller feature film Arctic Blast.

Bringing some brawn to the show – and lots of it – will be international WWE SUPERSTAR THE MIZ, known amongst his kid fans as ‘The Awesome One’. He’s also nominated for Baddest Baddie, within an eclectic category of Aussie kids’ favourite ‘baddies’ which includes X Factor’s Kyle Sandilands!

Australian Idol winner STAN WALKER will be experiencing his first Kids’ Choice Awards as a presenter this year, and is also up for a blimp award in the category of Fresh Aussie Muso’s, due to his popularity with Aussie kids and impressive post-Idol success.

Channel V’s KYLE LINAHAN is a Kids’ Choice Awards veteran and will be presenting on stage again this year. Announced earlier, this year’s exciting KCA music line-up will be headlined by kid favourites SHORT STACK, with performances by AMY MEREDITH, CODY SIMPSON & JUSTICE CREW.

For the first time ever at the Australian KCA’s, there will be a special LIVE performance on the Orange Carpet! Popular Nickelodeon U.S. star DRAKE BELL has been confirmed to attend as a presenter and will also do a special music performance on the Orange Carpet to kick things off before the main show. Best known as an actor in Nickelodeon’s sit-com Drake & Josh (in which a young Miranda Cosgrove played his cheeky little sister before scoring her own show, iCarly), DRAKE is brimming with musical talent which he’s set to display in his pop-rock Orange Carpet performance. DRAKE actually co-wrote and performed the theme song to Drake & Josh, entitled “Found a Way”, and in 2008 he sang the theme song to iCarly, “Leave It All To Me” with Miranda Cosgrove, also appearing in the video clip with her. In 2005 he independently released his debut album, Telegraph, and his second studio album, It's Only Time, was released in 2006 after signing with Motown.

Earlier this month, DRAKE won a Nick blimp for Favourite Male International Character in the Kids’ Choice Awards 2010 in Mexico. For the Australian KCA’s, DRAKE is nominated for the Big Kid Award up against fellow Nick U.S. star, iCarly’s JERRY TRAINOR, who is one third of the talented trio of hosts at this year’s Australian KCA along with JESSICA MAUBOY and LIAM HEMSWORTH, as just announced on Sunday.

And it doesn’t end there, as even more presenters and celebrities to walk the orange carpet are still to be announced – stay tuned!