Awards Features

The "Hannah Montana" sensation is booked to headline Nick's Kids' Choice Awards -- and is nominated for two of the youth-centric kudofest's honors (with a third nom going to the show itself). What's more, Cyrus and "Hannah Montana" are far from the only Disney Channel staples set to infiltrate their TV rival when Nick broadcasts the annual event Saturday.

As the competition between Disney and Nick for tween eyeballs continues to heat up on the airwaves, the battleground has made its way to the KCAs.

"We're all about showcasing kids' entertainment favorites," says Paula Kaplan, Nickelodeon's executive veepee for talent and West Coast g.m. "Miley is smack dab in that category. It's not about whether she's a Disney star or a Nick star. She's an enormous brand for kids right now."

However friendly things might be on KCA night, to some extent it's an awkward position for both cablers to be in. For Nick, it's an opportunity to steal away one of the biggest superstars in kiddom, at least for an evening. But it also means serving as a bit of a marketing platform for a rival net's superstar.

For Disney, it means allowing the competish to score big ratings and ad dollars thanks in part to the appearance of your marquee talent. But it also means being able to infiltrate the competish, and in a way co-opt an awards-show brand that rival Nick has cultivated for two decades.

"If I had to guess, I'm thinking Nickelodeon execs are throwing their hands up and saying, 'It is what it is,' " says a Disney insider. "I think they realize they don't have a choice. They clearly know this is a show that must showcase the favorites and most popular stars for the kid audience. ... We're proud that kids have clearly said that the Disney stars and shows are (among) their favorites."

This year's KCA TV nominees are almost a little too perfectly balanced, with two Nick stars vs. two Disney stars in the actor and actress categories, plus two entries from each channel in the TV show faceoff.

For the actress competish, that means Cyrus and Raven-Symone (Disney Channel's "That's So Raven") share the category with Emma Roberts (Nick's "Unfabulous") and Jamie Lynn Spears (Nick's "Zoey 101").

In the actor category, Drake Bell and Josh Peck from Nick's "Drake and Josh" are up against Dylan Sprouse and Cole Sprouse from Disney's "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody."

Also, Disney's "Hannah Montana" and "Suite Life" are up for best TV show, as are Nick's "Drake and Josh" and "iCarly."

"It does seem like a bit of a coincidence that in all of these categories, there are two Nickelodeon and two Disney entries," the Disney exec says.

Despite the rivalry, Kaplan says there are few issues in booking the awards show -- partly because the kudofest producers deal mostly with publicists and managers, not network execs, in recruiting talent like Cyrus.

This phenomenon is actually fairly recent. For years, KCA nominees in the TV categories mostly came from the broadcast networks -- and mostly consisted of older (well, over 18) thesps.

But as the major webs moved away from kid-friendly scripted fare (i.e., ABC's "TGIF" block), cablers like Nick and Disney Channel picked up the slack. Disney Channel first received a KCA nomination in 2002, with "Lizzie McGuire." That show actually won the following year; "That's So Raven" won in 2004.

"Back in the day, the choices for favorite stars were a lot more adult," says one KCA vet. "The entertainment business has changed so much, and kids and teens now have as much star wattage as the Adam Sandlers and Jim Carreys of the world."

TIP SHEET
What: The 21st Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
When: 5 p.m. PT Saturday (televised at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific times)
Where: Pauley Pavilion, UCLA