Nick Cannon Unites Four Superstar Celebrities With Four Extraordinary Teens to Celebrate and Support their Commitment to Service in the First-Ever TeenNick HALO Awards, Friday, Dec. 11, at 8 P.M. (ET) on TeenNick, With 9 P.M. (ET/PT) Encore on Nick at Nite

Nick Cannon Unites Four Superstar Celebrities With Four Extraordinary Teens to Celebrate and Support their Commitment to Service in the First-Ever TeenNick HALO Awards, Friday, Dec. 11, at 8 P.M. (ET) on TeenNick, With 9 P.M. (ET/PT) Encore on Nick at Nite

Awards Special in Partnership with the Entertainment Industry Foundation Features LeBron James, Alicia Keys, Hayden Panettiere and Justin Timberlake and Includes Personal Message from First Lady Michelle Obama

NEW YORK, Dec. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- TeenNick, Nickelodeon's 24-hour TV network exclusively for and about teens, unveils the first-ever TeenNick HALO Awards -- a new concept in awards shows featuring four mega-celebrities who don't receive the awards themselves -- they give them out to deserving teens in support of their philanthropic causes. LeBron James, Alicia Keys, Hayden Panettiere and Justin Timberlake join TeenNick Chairman Nick Cannon in an hour-long special presentation that recognizes and celebrates real teens who are "Helping And Leading Others" (HALO) and working to making a significant difference in the world. The TeenNick HALO Awards premieres Friday, Dec. 11, at 8 p.m. (ET), on TeenNick, followed by an encore presentation at 9 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nick at Nite. Conceived, hosted and executive produced by Cannon, the TeenNick HALO Awards, in partnership with the Entertainment Industry Foundation, also features an exclusive personal message from First Lady Michelle Obama.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091201/NY19017 )

"There are so many regular young people who are agents of change in their communities, and I wanted to recognize their efforts," said Nick Cannon, Chairman, TeenNick. "One person can make a difference, and it's my hope that this special will encourage ongoing activism and inspire a new generation of leaders."

The TeenNick HALO Awards highlights the unique stories of four teens -- Brryan Jackson, Megan Kilroy, Darrius Snow and Leah Stoltz -- who have made enormous service contributions in their communities. The teens are each surprised by a visit from Cannon and awarded a grant for their organization, scholarship funds and an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet and connect with a celebrity who shares a similar passion for their cause.

"We know today's generation of teens have a deep interest in giving back to their community, and Nick Cannon came to us with the brilliant idea of celebrating and supporting these efforts by creating an award show that flips the script and features today's biggest celebrities giving out the awards instead of receiving them," said Marjorie Cohn, Executive Vice President, Original Programming and Development, Nickelodeon. "The stories of these four teens are both motivational and uplifting, and we think the HALO Awards will help to inspire other young people in their communities to get involved in service."

TeenNick's website, www.TeenNick.com, will feature information on each of the teens' and celebrities' organizations, as well as list extensive resources on how people can get involved on local levels throughout the year. In addition, teens are invited to share stories of others who are also making a difference.

In support of the TeenNick HALO Awards, TeenNick will run a mobile sweepstakes "Do Good in Your 'Hood with Nick Cannon." The network will award one lucky winner by bringing Nick Cannon to his or her town to lead a service opportunity in the community. Contestants between the ages of 13-24 years old may enter the sweepstakes by texting HALO to 91757 during the sweeps period from Dec. 11 through Jan. 10, 2010.

Following are the TeenNick HALO Award honorees, along with information on their organizations and their celebrity match:

-- Brryan Jackson, St. Charles, MO native, created Hope Is Vital, an
organization that advocates for HIV/AIDS awareness education and
outreach, after being infected with the HIV virus as an infant. His
HALO match, Alicia Keys, shares his passion for the cause with Keep A
Child Alive, her charity that provides life saving treatment, care and
support services to children and their families living with HIV/AIDS
in Africa and India.

-- Having grown up on the shores of Santa Monica, Megan Kilroy now runs
Team Marine, an advocacy group at her high school that conducts ocean
research and supports community activism, outreach and education. Her
HALO match, Hayden Panettiere, is the spokesperson for The Whaleman
Foundation and its Save the Whales Again! campaign whose mission is to
end all commercial whaling and dolphin hunting and to preserve and
protect whales, dolphins and their ocean habitat.

-- Darrius Snow, who grew up in the projects of Atlanta, successfully
built up and ran BTEAM (Bankhead Teens Encouraging Action by
Motivating Others), an organization dedicated to community improvement
by providing kids and teens with positive physical activities as an
alternative to violence, drugs and gangs. His HALO match, LeBron
James, founded the LeBron James Family Foundation in 2004, which
empowers children and single-parent households through innovative
programming and initiatives, strengthening the ties between family
members and building hope through education, physical fitness and
better health for those who are dealing with adversity.

-- After living with scoliosis, Leah Stoltz started Curvy Girls of Long
Island, a group that provides education, support and friendship for
teen girls diagnosed with the condition. Her HALO match is Justin
Timberlake, whose charity is The Shriners Hospitals for Children, a
pediatric, orthopedic healthcare system with 22 hospitals that
specialize in orthopedics, burn care, spinal cord injury and cleft lip
and palate.

The Entertainment Industry Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, is the leading charitable organization of entertainment industry, and has distributed hundreds of millions of dollars to support programs addressing critical health, education and social issues. Visit www.eifoundation.org or www.iParticipate.org.

TeenNick (formerly The N), the 24-hour TV network exclusively for and about teens, is currently available in 66 million households via cable, digital cable and satellite, as well on mobile, VOD and broadband. TeenNick's distinct perspective connects its audience to the electricity and possibilities of teendom, anytime and anywhere, with original series and ever-popular favorites. TeenNick.com, paired with sister site Quizilla.com, makes TeenNick the #1 online destination for teens. TeenNick and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091201/NY19017
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN13
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Nickelodeon

CONTACT: Maggie Wang, +1-212-846-6381, Maggie.wang@nick.com, or Jodi
Davis, +1-212-846-5981, Jodi.davis@nick.com

Web Site: http://www.nick.com/

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