Chrissie Swan eyes a Gold Logie

SHE'S already gone head-to-head with Australia's queen of daytime TV but now Chrissie Swan has her eyes on the biggest prize of all - the Gold Logie.

SHE has already gone head-to-head with Australia's queen of daytime television but now Chrissie Swan has her eyes on the biggest prize of all - the Gold Logie.

Swan, co-host of Channel 10’s morning panel show The Circle, was announced today as one of six Aussie TV personalities vying for this year’s top award.

Women dominate the field for the 2011 Gold Logie, which goes to the most popular personality on Australian television.

Rebecca Gibney and Jessica Marais, from Packed to the Rafters, Spicks and Specks host Adam Hills, Asher Keddie from Ten’s Offspring and Today host Karl Stefanovic are the other contenders.

Swan, a former Big Brother contestant whose show competes with TV veteran Kerrie Anne Kennerly’s weekday program, is also vying for two Silver Logies: most popular presenter and most popular new female talent.

The Circle, a relative minnow in ratings terms, is up against Good News Week, Hey Hey It’s Saturday, Sunrise and Talkin’ Bout Your Generation for most popular light entertainment program.

Despite often trailing Seven and Nine in ratings, Ten has the lion’s share of nominations in the “most popular” program categories this year, including Ready Steady Cook (lifestyle), Before The Game (sports), MasterChef Australia (reality) and Bondi Rescue (factual).

Richard Roxburgh received two nominations in the same category for the Silver Logie for most outstanding actor - one for his turn as Bob Hawke in the Ten telemovie Hawke, and the other for his leading role in ABC1’s drama Rake.

The “most outstanding” Logies are voted on by industry peers, as opposed to the “most popular” awards which are decided by the general public.

The Chaser boys will be back at this year’s awards after landing a nomination for most outstanding light entertainment program for their satirical Yes We Canberra series on ABC1 in the lead-up to the 2010 election.

Also nominated are Spicks and Specks (ABC1), Talkin’ Bout Your Generation (Ten), Hamish & Andy’s Caravan of Courage: Great Britain and Ireland (Ten) and Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam (SBS).

Organisers of the 2011 TV Week Logie Awards have also revealed that LA quintet Maroon 5 and UK pop singer Jessie J will be among the acts to perform at this year’s event.