ACE CABLE NOMINEES REVEALED

The first “MTV Video Music Awards” and Showtime/The Movie Channel’s presentation of “Master Harold . . . and the Boys,” starring Matthew Broderick, were among the nominees for the seventh annual Awards for Cable Excellence (ACE) announced Tuesday morning by the National Academy of Cable Programming.

The ACE ceremonies, to be hosted by Shelley Duvall on Dec. 3 at the Beverly Theater, will honor winners in 45 categories, including music, sports and dramatic specials as well as for acting, writing and directing. The awards show will be telecast Dec. 6 at 9 p.m. on superstation WTBS, the major underwriter of the ACE presentation.

The winners in eight craft categories will be announced Nov. 19 in a ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

Nominated performers include John Candy, star of “HBO Comedy Playhouse: The Last Polka”; Shirley MacLaine, who appeared in a self-titled special on Showtime/The Movie Channel; Alan Bates, star of “An Englishman Abroad” on Arts & Entertainment, and MTV host Martha Quinn.

Other nominees and their categories included:

Informational Special: “Snowstorm in the Jungle,” seen on Turner Broadcasting System; “Soldiers in Hiding,” HBO; “Missing Persons--Four True Stories,” HBO; “Sex and the American Teen-ager,” HBO; and “Acts of Violence,” HBO.

Music Special: “1st Annual MTV Video Music Awards,” MTV; “Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton Together,” HBO; “Tina Turner: Private Dancer,” HBO; “Bette Midler--Art or Bust,” HBO; “Huey Lewis and the News: The Heart of Rock and Roll,” Showtime/The Movie Channel.

Theatrical Special: “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” Showtime/The Movie Channel; “Master Harold . . . and the Boys,” Showtime/The Movie Channel.

Movie or Miniseries: “Berlin Alexanderplatz,” Bravo; “Icebound in the Antarctic: Shackleton,” Arts & Entertainment; “The Guardian,” HBO: “Sakharov,” HBO; “Finnegan Begin Again,” HBO.