NEW YORK, March 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The biggest names in comedy were on hand as the winners of the first annual "The Comedy Awards" were announced by COMEDY CENTRAL during tonight's star studded telecast set to air Sunday, April 10 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.  "The Comedy Awards" is the first-ever multi-network, multi-platform, annual event dedicated to honoring and celebrating the world of comedy.  David Letterman, host of "Late Show with David Letterman" and a permanent fixture in the late night comedy landscape since 1982, was awarded "The Comedy Awards" most prestigious honor, the "Johnny Carson Award for Comedic Excellence."  This award will be presented annually in honor of the legendary comedian and talk show host to an individual who embodies the comedic excellence of the beloved comedic powerhouse.

Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock") and Kristen Wiig ("Saturday Night Live") won BEST COMEDY ACTOR and BEST COMEDY ACTRESS in television, and Tina Fey ("Date Night") and Zach Galifianakis ("Dinner for Schmucks") took home awards for BEST COMEDY ACTRESS and BEST COMEDY ACTOR in film. Daniel Tosh was chosen by fans to receive the BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMER award.  Eddie Murphy was honored with the previously announced "Comedy Icon Award" for his extraordinary contribution to the world of comedy.

"Modern Family" received both BEST COMEDY SERIES and COMEDY DIRECTING-TV, and 'The Other Guys" won BEST COMEDY FILM.  Nods were also given to "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" for LATE NIGHT COMEDY SERIES, "South Park" for ANIMATED COMEDY SERIES and "Toy Story 3" for ANIMATED COMEDY FILM.  "Louis C.K.: Hilarious" won for STAND-UP SPECIAL and "Childrens Hospital" received the award for SKETCH COMEDY/ALTERNATIVE COMEDY SERIES. "Auto-Tune the News: Bed Intruder Song" was elected by fans as BEST VIRAL ORIGINAL.

Following is a list of the 2011 "The Comedy Awards" winners as selected by an invitation-only voting body comprised of nearly 1,000 members from the comedy community – including writers, producers, performers and directors (excluding the Breakthrough Performer and Best Viral Original categories, which were voted on by fans). The nominees were selected by the prestigious "The Comedy Awards" Board of Directors.

For a complete list of this year's wins and nominations as well as more information about the show and the Board of Directors, please visit www.thecomedyawards.com.

COMEDY CENTRAL, the only all-comedy network, currently is seen in more than 98 million homes nationwide.  COMEDY CENTRAL is owned by, and is a registered trademark of, Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned division of Viacom Inc.'s (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B) MTV Networks.  COMEDY CENTRAL's Internet address is www.comedycentral.com.  For up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs visit Press Central, COMEDY CENTRAL's press Web site, at www.comedycentral.com/press and follow us on Twitter at @ComedyCentralPR.

MTV Networks, a division of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is one of the world's leading creators of entertainment content, with brands that engage and connect diverse audiences across television, online, mobile, games, virtual worlds and consumer products.  The company's portfolio spans more than 150 television channels and 400 digital media properties worldwide, and includes MTV, VH1, CMT, Logo, Harmonix, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Nick Jr., TeenNick, AddictingGames, Neopets, COMEDY CENTRAL, SPIKE, TV Land, Atom, GameTrailers and Xfire.

SOURCE COMEDY CENTRAL Corporate Communications