POLL POSITION

It’s the time of year when cable’s Nickelodeon channel asks kids to nominate their favorite movie, television, music and sports celebrities for the “9th Annual Kids Choice Awards” scheduled to air May 6.

Beginning April 6, the network will launch a four-week campaign during SNICK (Saturday Night Nickelodeon) when kids from across the country can vote for the awards. Each week Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell, from Nickelodeon’s “All That,” and Larisa Oleynik, from “The Secret World of Alex Mack,” will help kids cast their votes via a special 800 number.

There are other ways to connect with the “Kids’ Choice Awards,” such as casting a vote through America OnLine (keyword Nick), filling out a ballot at participating McDonald’s restaurants or, if you happen to be in Orlando in the next month, stopping by Nickelodeon Studios and voting in person.

According to Albie Hecht, senior vice president of Nickelodeon Productions, Whitney Houston’s stint as last year’s host attracted a record number of voters to the awards. It also earned Houston a nomination for an NAACP Image Award in the category of best performance in an educational or informational TV series/special. She has agreed to host the hour-long awards program again this year.

Houston is up for this year’s Kids’ Choice Hall of Fame as well. Her competition includes Tim Allen, Whoopi Goldberg and Janet Jackson.

For parents, the “Kids Choice Awards” is a good representation of the people kids identify with in the world of entertainment.

The favorite movie category excludes the Oscar best picture nominee “Babe” but offers “Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls,” “Batman Forever,” “Casper” and “Toy Story.” “Babe” gets some recognition in the category of favorite animal star along with Amy the gorilla (“Congo”), Marcel the monkey (“Friends”) and Willy the whale (“Free Willy 2”).

In the favorite singer category, Michael Jackson still receives high marks from kids. He shares a nomination with his sister Janet, Brandy and Coolio.

For the first year in the awards’ history, the Chicago Bulls did not garner a nomination for favorite sports team, but the team’s Michael Jordan is sure to win favorite male athlete.

– Although Cristina Ferrare’s new show “Home & Family” (noon weekdays, The Family Channel; premieres Monday), is called a talk show, it appears to be a reincarnation of executive producer Woody Fraser’s “Home Show,” which aired on ABC from 1988 to 1993. “Home & Family” however, covers related topics more thoroughly than its predecessor.

Fraser feels there are more ways to grab viewers’ attention than through fear, shock or bizarre behavior. Fraser says people are seeking positive, real and usable information to make their lives better and easier. “There are a lot of shows that give information, but none that gives answers,” he says.

“Home & Family” brings its viewers a mix of family-related ingredients that promise real and useful answers to the complex questions families in the ’90s face every day.

To maintain an up-to-date dialogue with its viewers and to understand their needs, the show is fully interactive via viewer call-ins, faxes and a web page.

The show’s two-hour format focuses on myriad subjects relating to the home from a practical standpoint and the family as an emotional unit. The “Ongoing Life Series” delves deeply into the aspects of an important personal story or topic. For example, the show may follow three pregnant women dealing with different issues such as age, number of children or financial consequence from the first trimester to birth. Each time the women are on the show, various professionals will answer questions relating to the issue at hand.

The “Weekly Series” segments provide tips for tasks around the house such as putting the garden to bed for the winter or cleaning out closets in the spring. The custom designed home, which serves as the place from which the show is broadcast, allows step-by-step demonstrations for each project.

– The Cartoon Network’s own World Premiere Toons project has received its first-ever Academy Awards nomination. “Courage the Cowardly Dog” in “The Chicken from Outer Space” has been nominated for best achievement in animated short films. John R. Dilworth wrote and directed the cartoon.

Best picks:

“Field of Dreams” (8:30 p.m. Friday, USA).

“The Sandlot” (7 p.m. Saturday, WLS-Ch. 7).

Originally Published: March 28, 1996 at 1:00 AM CST