The traditional green slime flowed at the Kids’ Choice Awards as it was dumped on the heads of celebrities on March 28, but it was Angelina Jolie’s message of empowerment for youngsters that really stuck with the audience.
Jolie, who has sought to inspire women by being open about her own health issues in recent years, said that "different is good" as she accepted the favourite villain award for her movie role as the title character in Maleficent.
When she was young, Jolie said: “I was told I was different. And I felt out of place: too loud, too full of fire, never good at sitting still, never good at fitting in.
“When someone tells you that you are different, smile and hold your head up and be proud,” she said, then added with a wink: “Cause a little trouble. It’s good for you.”
The actress and filmmaker, who revealed that she had undergone more surgery aimed at preventing cancer, received excited hugs from daughters Shiloh and Zahara when her name was announced during the ceremony, hosted by the children’s TV channel Nickelodeon in Los Angeles.
Other winners, who are voted for by young fans, included Emma Stone, who escaped the event's trademark slime when she accepted her Favourite Movie Actress Award for her role in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and the stars of Modern Family, including Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who didn't get away clean when the sitcom was named favourite family TV show.
Nick Jonas hosted the ceremony, which honoured the group Fifth Harmony as favourite new artist, and Liam Hemsworth and Jennifer Lawrence, stars of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, as favourite action stars. The film was also voted favourite movie.
Jonas himself was named favourite male singer, but also ended up drenched in slime, as did Josh Gad (Frozen, Broadway's Book of Mormon), who got slimed by co-presenter Adam Sandler.
Musical performers included Iggy Azalea with Jennifer Hudson, and 5 Seconds of Summer, who ended up taking a goo hit.
Jonas opened the ceremony by noting that One Direction were minus a group member following the departure of Zayn Malik.
“A tough week,” he said. “Lot of girls in the house tonight still struggling after One Direction became Two Direction. What’s next? Fourth Harmony? 3 Seconds of Summer? No, no. The Jonas Brother?”
The remaining members of One Direction, who are on tour and due to perform in Dubai on Saturday, were at a gig in Johannesburg, South Africa, and so didn’t appear to accept their trophy for favourite music group.
Other celebrities taking part in the ceremony included Jamie Foxx, Meghan Trainor, Chris Rock, The Big Bang Theory's Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting, Kevin James and the Little League Baseball sensation Mo'ne Davis.
Jolie wrote in The New York Times on March 24 that she had her ovaries and Fallopian tubes removed recently to reduce her risk of cancer. Two years ago, she disclosed that she carries a defective breast-cancer gene that puts her at high risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer. Her mother died of ovarian cancer, and her maternal grandmother also had it – evidence of an inherited, genetic risk that led Jolie to have a double mastectomy to try to avoid the same fate.
artslife@thenational.ae
