JOSH DUHAMEL is following in the footsteps of BRAD PITT and WILL SMITH as he prepares to get slimed in his role as host of Nickelodeon's 26th Annual Kids' Choice Awards.

The actor will join a long list of stars who have been covered in green goo onstage, a tradition at the ceremony which celebrates children's favorite entertainers.

Duhamel will oversee the prizegiving at the University of Southern California's Galen Center in Los Angeles in March (13), and has already begun planning a number of pranks to keep viewers entertained.

He says, "Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards is a great event that celebrates kids by honouring their opinions and taps into the kid in all of us. I have a lot of secret plans for when I host the awards, but I can tell you I'm excited to lead millions of kids into total crazy fun, chaos... and, of course, endless slime!"

The event's executive producer Marjorie Cohn adds, "As a previous 'best arm fart' winner, we know he'll do what it takes to be a great host. We promise that this year will deliver the special, one-of-a-kind surprise-filled slimefest for which our annual telecast is famous."