Winners of The Comedy Awards 2011

In case you missed it either when they taped The Comedy Awards in late March, or when the ceremony aired April 10 on Comedy Central and its partner MTV Networks stations, here is the full list of winners from the inaugural edition:

Comedy Film: The Other Guys

Sketch Comedy/Alternative Comedy Series: Childrens' Hospital

Comedy Actor, TV: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Animated Comedy Series: South Park

Best Viral Original: Auto-Tune The News, The Gregory Brothers (for "Antoine Dodson" aka "Bed Intruder Song")

Comedy Writing, TV: 30 Rock

Comedy Director, Film: Edgar Wright, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Comedy Series, TV: Modern Family

Stand-Up Comedy Special: Louis CK, Hilarious

Late-Night Comedy Series: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Comedy Actress, TV: Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live

Comedy Actor, Film: Zach Galifianakis, Dinner For Schmucks

Comedy Screenplay: Hot Tub Time Machine

Comedy Actress, Film: Tina Fey, Date Night

Breakthrough Performer: Daniel Tosh

Johnny Carson Award: David Letterman

Comedy Icon Award: Eddie Murphy

Attending the taping, I really got the feeling that they tried to make this a legit awards show that could continue on for many years. Pre-taping was a good idea because it allowed them to skip over categories in which the winners weren't there, or when presenters drunkenly rambled (or should we have seen all of that on air?).

They didn't make it quite clear during the broadcast what exactly The Johnny Carson Award is, so I can see how some people might wonder, seeing David Letterman win the first one, whether they'll run out of potential late-night hosts to take the title. But that's not what it is: The Carson Award is for "an individual who embodies the comedic excellence of the renowned and beloved comedic powerhouse." So it's like the Icon Award, which went to Eddie Murphy, but not exactly. And getting Letterman (who wasn't previously announced as the winner) was a nice coup, although knowing how much Letterman still idolizes Carson as his hero, mentor and career-maker, it's not surprising that he'd show up for this.

Minor quibbles? If I have them, they are these: The original slate of nominees still managed to snub some great comedians and comedy out there, which I can only figure is a result of the awards board being made up of the old guard. Also, as much as people may have slighted the earlier American Comedy Awards for including Club Comedian of the Year or other categories, it'd be nice to see these awards expand with a few more honors for working stand-up comedians. All they got was Stand-Up Special. You could have separate categories for stand-ups working comedy clubs and stand-ups who work theaters and arenas, maybe? Maybe?

Anyhow. Looking forward to next year!