Entertainment Weekly's Mike Ausiello and I mostly agree on who'll win Emmys in the top series races Aug. 29. However, there are significant differences in our rankings per category, and there is drastic disagreement over how we size up the contest for best comedy actor. I've got Tony Shalhoub ("Monk") in first place, Mike's got him in last!

Note: My predix are still a bit tentative. I haven't seen a few of the episodes submitted to Emmy judges by nominees as examples of their best work. When I finish up that viewing in a few days, I may make a few changes. Mike may want to make a few last-minute switcheroos too? Meantime, thank you, Mike, for piping in.

Photo: Academy of Television Arts & Sciences

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As Emmy contenders slug it out to win fake gold statuettes, TV Guide just tattled on how much real gold they earn from their tube jobs. Poor Hugh Laurie has lost his four Emmy bouts in the past, but isn't indigent. His hefty consolation prize: $400,000 for starring in each episode of "House M.D." Here are the salaries of other Emmy nominees on the TV Guide list. Sums are per episode unless otherwise indicated.

BEST DRAMA ACTOR
Hugh Laurie, "House M.D." - $400,000
Jon Hamm, "Mad Men" - $100,000

BEST DRAMA ACTRESS
Mariska Hargitay, "Law & Order: SVU" -  $395,000
Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer" - $350,000
Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife" - $175,000

BEST COMEDY ACTOR
Steve Carell, "The Office" - $297,000
Matthew Morrison, "Glee" - $30,000
Jim Parsons, "The Big Bang Theory" - $40,000

BEST COMEDY ACTRESS
Edie Falco, "Nurse Jackie" - $175,000

BEST SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTOR
Ty Burrell, "Modern Family" - $50,000
Jon Cryer, "Two and a Half Men" - $550,000

BEST SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTRESS
Jane Lynch, "Glee" - $50,000

VARIETY CATEGORIES
David Letterman, "The Late Show" - $28 million per year
Conan O'Brien, "The Conan O'Brien Show" - $10 million per year

BEST REALITY TV HOST
Ryan Seacrest, "American Idol" - $15 million per year

Photo: WireImage

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Never mind which TV shows and stars are favored by Emmy voters. Yahoo measured the lists of Emmy nominees according to which ones were searched most by their Web browsers during the eligibility period spanning June 1, 2009, to May 31, 2010.

TOP SEARCHED BEST SERIES, DRAMA

1. "Lost"

2. "True Blood"

3. "Dexter"

4. "Mad Men"

5. "Breaking Bad"

6. "The Good Wife"
 


TOP SEARCHED BEST SERIES, COMEDY
1. "Glee"

2. "The Office"

3. "Modern Family"

4. "30 Rock"

5. "Nurse Jackie"

6. "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
 

TOP SEARCHED BEST ACTOR, DRAMA
1. Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"
2. Hugh Laurie, "House"

3. Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"

4. Matthew Fox, "Lost"

5. Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"

6. Kyle Chandler, "Friday Night Lights"

In an earlier post, I shared the breakdown of the acting races for best drama series (complete with titles of episodes being viewed by Emmy judges) that appeared in the recent print edition of The Envelope in the Los Angeles Times. Here's the equivalent comedy list plus who's in the running for best lead actor and actress in TV movie/mini.

BEST COMEDY ACTOR
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock" ("Don Geiss, America, and Hope")
Steve Carrell, "The Office" ("The Cover Up")
Larry David, "Curb Your Enthusiasm" ("Seinfeld")
Matthew Morrison, "Glee" ("Mash Up")
Jim Parsons, "The Big Bang Theory" ("The Pants Alternative")
Tony Shalhoub, "Monk" ("Mr. Monk and the End, Parts I and II")

SPOTLIGHT: Three-time past champ Shalhoub could get a parting Emmy gift for the final episode of "Monk" in which he's poisoned, battles his usual phobias, weeps over memories of his dead wife and finally, after eight TV seasons, solves her murder. Or Emmy voters could get all choked up with nostalgia while viewing the "Seinfeld" reunion on David's submission.

BEST COMEDY ACTRESS
Toni Collette, "United States of Tara" ("Tornado!")
Edie Falco, "Nurse Jackie" ("Pilot")
Tina Fey, "30 Rock" ("Dealbreakers Talk Show #0001")
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "The New Adventures of Old Christine" ("I Love What You Do for Me")
Lea Michele, "Glee" ("Sectionals")
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation" ("Telethon")

SPOTLIGHT: Barbra Streisand won an Oscar for belting out "Don't Rain on My Parade" in "Funny Girl." Now Michele croons the same in her Emmy episode. Good omen? Collette won the Emmy last year for portraying multiple personalities, but currently battles her Showtime rival Falco, who triumphed three times as tough mafia momma on "The Sopranos."

Here's who I predict will score bids when Emmy Awards nominations are unveiled Thursday morning:

BEST DRAMA SERIES
"Breaking Bad"
"Damages"
"Dexter"
"Mad Men"
"The Good Wife"
"Lost"

ALTERNATES: "Big Love," "Friday Night Lights," "House M.D.," "Sons of Anarchy," "Treme"

BEST COMEDY SERIES
"The Big Bang Theory"
"Curb Your Enthusiasm"
"Family Guy"
"Glee"
"Modern Family"
"30 Rock"

ALTERNATES: "Community," "How I Met Your Mother," "Entourage," "Nurse Jackie," "The Office," "Parks and Recreation," "Weeds"

BEST DRAMA ACTOR
Simon Baker ("The Mentalist")
Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad")
Michael C. Hall ("Dexter")
Jon Hamm ("Mad Men")
Hugh Laurie ("House")
Timothy Olyphant ("Justified")

ALTERNATES: Matt Bomer ("White Collar"), Kyle Chandler ("Friday Night Lights"), Matthew Fox ("Lost"), Peter Krause ("Parenthood"), Denis Leary ("Rescue Me"), Bill Paxton ("Big Love"), Wendell Pierce ("Treme"), Kiefer Sutherland ("24")

BEST DRAMA ACTRESS
Glenn Close ("Damages")
Mariska Hargitay ("Law & Order: SVU")
January Jones ("Mad Men")
Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife")
Katey Sagal ("Sons of Anarchy")
Kyra Sedgwick ("The Closer")

ALTERNATES: Sally Field ("Brothers and Sisters"), Anna Gunn ("Breaking Bad"), Holly Hunter ("Saving Grace"), Melissa Leo ("Treme"), Anna Paquin ("True Blood")

BEST COMEDY ACTOR
Steve Carell ("The Office")
Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock")
Larry David ("Curb Your Enthusiasm")
Matthew Morrison ("Glee")
Jim Parsons ("The Big Bang Theory")
Tony Shalhoub ("Monk")

ALTERNATES: David Duchovny ("Californication"), Joel McHale ("Community"), Thomas Jane ("Hung"), Charlie Sheen ("Two and a Half Men")

• Writer/director Bill Condon -- who co-produced last year's Academy Awards -- has inked a deal to direct the fourth film in the "Twilight" franchise. There is talk that "Breaking Dawn" will be split into two films, as is being done with the last in the "Harry Potter" series. Condon -- who won an Oscar for his script for "Gods & Monsters" -- said in a statement, "I’m very excited to get the chance to bring the climax of this saga to life on-screen. As fans of the series know, this is a one-of-a-kind book and we’re hoping to create an equally unique cinematic experience."

• The first wave of bold-faced names who will attend the presentation of the AFI lifetime achievement award to Oscar-winning director Mike Nichols ("The Graduate") has been announced. Among those speaking at the June 10 ceremony will be a pair of two-time Oscar winners who are both previous AFI honorees -- Tom Hanks (2002) and Meryl Streep (2003) -- as well as two more Oscar champs -- Cher and Julia Roberts. All four of them have been directed at least once by Nichols who is one of only 10 people to have won the grand slam of all four major showbiz awards. YAHOO

• Looks like four-time lead actor Emmy nominee Steve Carell could be resigning from "The Office" when his contract expires at the end of next season. As Willa Paskin reports, "Asked if he would stay longer, Carell, who has some ten movie projects in the works, told a BBC reporter, 'I don't think so. I think that will probably be my last year.' Of course, the last thing NBC needs is for the leading man of their highest-rated comedy to split, so they will likely offer Carell just about anything he wants to stay." NEW YORK

• The revamped official website of the Tony Awards will include a streaming feed of both the red carpet and the press room at the 64th annual edition of these top theater kudos on June 13. There will also be a section devoted to the Twitter feeds of the nominees after they are announced on May 4. TONY AWARDS

•Two-time Emmy champ Kathy Griffin talks with Scott Huver about the upcoming sixth season of "My Life on the D-List" including what sounds like a must-see episode with her taking an acting lesson from Oscar champ Liza Minnelli ("Cabaret"). Says Griffin, "What I took away from working with Liza was she wasn’t in her Liza kooky wacky mode. We see her on TV and so often she’s just putting on the Liza show. And when we were alone in her room, just the two of us rehearsing, she was so in the moment and so fantastic and that’s when you really see it." TV GUIDE

• Jethro Nededog reports on the fun MTV is having touting its choice of "Parks and Recreation" supporting player Aziz Ansari as the host of this year's movie awards on June 6. In the promo, which debuted Tuesday night, "High School Musical" star Zac Efron, music mogul Diddy and "Gossip Girl" narrator Kristen Bell answer the question: Who is Aziz Ansari? ZAP2IT

Top photo: "Breaking Dawn" book cover. Credit: Hachette

Middle photo: Steve Carell in "The Office." Credit: NBC

Bottom photo: Kathy Griffin in "My Life on the D-List." Credit: Bravo

Now that Ed O'Neill ("Modern Family") has declared his Emmy candidacy in the supporting race, that appears to clear up any confusion surrounding the lead race too. Our Emmy seers Chris "Boomer" Beachum and Robert "Rob L" Licuria (AwardsHeaven.net) agree on five likely nominees for best lead comedy actor. For the sixth slot, Boomer picks Larry David ("Curb Your Enthusiasm"), and Rob opts for Thomas Jane ("Hung"). They agree on who's ahead to win — Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock"), who's nabbed this trophy for the last two years.

Also check out their predix in these races: lead drama actor, best drama actress, best supporting drama actor, best drama series, and best comedy series.

BEST COMEDY ACTOR: ROB'S PREDIX
1. Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock")
2. Steve Carell ("The Office")
3. Jim Parsons ("The Big Bang Theory")
4. Tony Shalhoub ("Monk")
5. Thomas Jane ("Hung")
6. Matthew Morrison ("Glee")
 
Alternates: Charlie Sheen ("Two and a Half Men"), Larry David ("Curb Your Enthusiasm")
 
ROB'S COMMENTARY: This is a solid group, with Thomas Jane a possible threat and Matthew Morrison my left-field choice (and deservedly so). Could voters get lazy and reanoint Sheen or David? Probably.

BEST COMEDY ACTOR: BOOMER'S PREDIX
1. Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock")
2. Steve Carell ("The Office")
3. Tony Shalhoub ("Monk")
4. Jim Parsons ("The Big Bang Theory")
5. Larry David ("Curb Your Enthusiasm")
6. Matthew Morrison ("Glee")

Alternates -- Charlie Sheen ("Two and a Half Men"), Thomas Jane ("Hung")

BOOMER'S COMMENTARY:  This would seem to be one of the easiest categories to predict, with the first five men on my list almost assured of nominations.

The latest Kids' Choice Awards looked like a repeat of last year's show when several winners returned. For the second year in a row "iCarly" won favorite TV show, Dylan Sprouse ("The Suite Life of Zach and Cody," "The Suite Life on Deck") won fave TV actor and Selena Gomez ("Wizards of Waverly Place") claimed the blimp for fave TV actress.

The latter two wins were formidable because Dylan Sprouse beat the Jonas Brothers ("Jonas") and Gomez trounced Miley Cyrus ("Hannah Montana"). However, Miley Cyrus rebounded to claim the kudos as fave film actress for her performance in "Hannah Montana: The Movie."

The awards show was spiced up with music performances by Rihanna (dancing with "Transformer" robots) and Justin Bieber (a virtual baby himself crooning "Baby") plus tidal waves of the kudocast's celebrated green slime.

Among the guests who got slimed were Jerry Trainor ("iCarly"), Jackson Rathbone ("The Last Airbender") and Katy Perry ("I Kissed a Girl"). Olympic athlete Apolo Anton Ohno set a new slime world record by being catapulted into a vat of slime, and comedians Tina Fey and Steve Carell received slimetime achievement awards.

The biggest surprise was that "Twilight Saga: New Moon" lost the prize for favorite movie to one of the worst-reviewed films of the year, "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel." The last chipmunks flick won the Kids' Choice Award as favorite film of 2007. The previous "Twilight" film wasn't nominated last year.

However, the latest "Twilight" flick rallied at this year's contest, with Taylor Lautner winning fave film star.

FAVORITE MOVIE: "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel"
FAVORITE MOVIE STAR: Taylor Lautner, "Twilight: New Moon"
FAVORITE TV SHOW: "iCarly"
FAVORITE TV ACTRESS: Selena Gomez ("Wizards of Waverly Place")
FAVORITE TV ACTOR: Dylan Sprouse ("The Suite Life of Zach and Cody," "The Suite Life on Deck")
FAVORITE MOVIE ACTRESS: Miley Cyrus ("Hannah Montana: The Movie")
FAVORITE MALE ATHLETE: Ryan Sheckler
THE BIG HELP AWARD: Michelle Obama

Photo: 20th Century Fox

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"With Conan O'Brien out at NBC, who will now host the Emmy Awards this August?" asks our moderator Chris "Boomer" Beachum in the forums. "He had hosted the previous two times the ceremony was on NBC and was certainly going to be the host again before everything changed.

"Before you shout out 'Jay Leno,' I seriously doubt that the academy or even NBC wants the publicity nightmare that would cause. The only thing in Leno's favor is that he was offended when Conan hosted the past two times. It wouldn't be beyond him to add that to his newly renegotiated NBC contract."

The peacock web will obviously want to stick with members of its network family such as  Jimmy Fallon, Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Amy Poehler etc. Personally, I like the idea of teaming up Fallon or Carell with Fey or Poehler — or Fey and Poehler together. A combo not mentioned in our forums is one I'd like to volunteer: Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake, who won an Emmy together in 2007 for that naughty song about you-know-what in a box. They were nominated last year for "Motherlove."

Chelsea Handler and Ryan Seacrest are on this list because Comcast owns both NBC and E! Entertainment Network. Why not toss them in, eh? Seacrest hosted successfully as solo emcee in 2007 and shouldn't be blamed for that train wreck of five reality-TV co-hosts the next year. Seacrest was merely riding that train; bad writers crashed it.

Check out the discussion in our forums for more suggestions and views.

Photo: NBC

Rob Licuria (AwardsHeaven.net) agrees with me that Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock") will probably win the Emmy again for best comedy actor, but Chris "Boomer" Beachum backs Steve Carell ("The Office"), possibly due to wishful thinking. We all agree that Jim Parsons ("The Big Bang Theory") is a serious rival.

Also watch our video smackdowns covering these Emmy races too: best drama actor, lead drama actress, best comedy series and lead comedy actress.

Also, read Boomer's and Rob's in-depth analysis of these contests: best comedy series, lead comedy actor, lead comedy actress, supporting comedy actor, supporting comedy actress, guest comedy actor, guest comedy actress, comedy writing, comedy directing, best drama series, best lead drama actor, lead drama actress, lead actor in movie/mini and lead actress in a movie/mini. See a chart of predix by top journalists here. See my full list of predix here. Read more predix in our forums.

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