Jennifer Garner with her surfboard

It was another awards ceremony for TV, film and music stars, and another opportunity for them to see and be seen. But The Teen Choice Awards 2004 stood out for more reasons than one. For starters, the show was hosted by the socialite duo Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie.

Don’t be put off, however, for there were plenty of pleasant surprises in Universal City, California, on the evening of August 8. The final choices were calculated from online votes by teenagers and the categories were as wacky as some of the winners. A refreshing change was in fashion. Cool and casual was the style with jeans the order of the day. The exceptions, of course, were the two hosts who were as pink and blonde as usual.

Innovative categories included Choice Liplock (we call it kiss) in a movie (Keira Knightly and Orlando Bloom in Pirates of the Caribbean) and Movie Your Parents Didn’t Want You to See (American Wedding). Rap artiste Usher and actress-turned-singer Lindsay Lohan, 18, each bagged four surfboards — yes, that’s what the winners get to take home.

Usual suspects like Halle Berry, Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston, Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson picked up a few surfboards, but so did skateboard champ Tony Hawk, actor Johnny Depp, TV star Jennifer “Alias” Garner, rap group D12 and teenaged singer Avril Lavigne. Spider-Man 2, Shrek 2, Friends and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban hogged the spotlight.