Every year the TV industry’s biggest, brightest, and most lavish ceremony is the Primetime Emmy Awards (and its supplemental show, the Creative Emmy’s) where the industry honors itself by picking the very best of the best. The ceremony is a sure fire way to broaden your viewership (sometimes) and a way for networks to powerfully market shows that have won awards.

However this hasn’t always been the case in recent years as the Emmy’s have turned into a popularity contest akin to the Oscars with only the Golden Globes holding out some shred of being more based on skill than who you know and who you can impress. Sure the voters have gotten it right before, bestowing the top comedy honor upon such worthy series as Arrested Development and 30 Rock and drama honors to the excellent and groundbreaking first season of Lost. However the perpetual nominations and wins for series and actors past their prime, such as Boston Legal, do their part to nullify the good that has been done.

With an ever changing TV landscape there’s always room for new blood to show up, yet the tried and true (call them “safe” choices) are always made. This year ending shows like The Wire were snubbed out of every major category and excellent shows like Battlestar Galactica were ostracized for their genre when deep down, there’s a great show if you can look past the setting and technology.

The death of the comedy on network television has really begun to show as you begin to scrap the bottom of the barrel just to fill out a category. Charlie Sheen for Two and Half Men is a great example of a highly rated, funny, yet not spectacular show and actor picking up a nom just because, frankly, there wasn’t much else the Emmy organizers could plug in there.

So how will the 2008 Emmy Awards fare in comparison to years past, while the nominations were mostly seen from a mile away, who will pick up that trophy on September 21 at the NOKIA Theater in Los Angeles (and broadcast on ABC)? Let’s take a look at the five major comedy categories, who is most deserving, and who will snag the prize?

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Jeremy Piven (Entourage/HBO)
Kevin Dillion (Entourage/HBO)
Neal Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother/CBS)
Rainn Wilson (The Office/NBC)
Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men/CBS)

Who Should Win: While having never seen Entourage to fully judge a previous winner like Piven or co-star Kevin Dillion, the award is really a toss up between NPH and Rainn Wilson in the “who should get it category.” Wilson is excellent as the sometimes clueless Dwight on The Office, providing sometimes unneeded reinforcement of boss Michael Scott’s (Steve Carell) outlandish plans. NPH is the perpetual bridesmaid and never a bride in this category excelling on an average sitcom as the, ironically, womanizing Barney. As seen in the Harold and Kumar franchise, his comedic timing is excellent and from the work I’ve seen, he gets the best lines of the entire ensemble.

Who Will Win: Jeremy Piven, Emmy voters love repeat nominations and wins for actors, especially in roles such as Ari Gold.

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Kristin Chenoweth (Pushing Daisies/ABC)
Jean Smart (Samantha Who?/ABC)
Amy Poehler (Saturday Night Live/NBC)
Holland Taylor (Two and a Half Men/CBS)
Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty/ABC)

Who Should Win: Chenoweth had a strong, albeit short season on Pushing Daisies to make a case for her to reappear next year at this time and take home a trophy, but the real standout here is Poehler, not only because it’s the first time an SNL cast member has been nominated while still on the show, but because this has been a great year with the election and Poehler’s hilarious portrayal of Hillary Clinton

Who Will Win: This category is one of the most open as several newcomers make things interesting. As stated above Pushing Daisies shortened season will hurt Chenoweth’s chances, Williams and Taylor are on long established series which have yet to win the award, and while Smart is a capable actress, it looks like Poehler may have this one in the bag already.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Tina Fey (30 Rock/NBC)
Christina Applegate (Samantha Who?/ABC)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (The New Adventures of Old Christine/CBS)
America Ferrera (Ugly Betty/ABC)
Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds/HBO)

Who Should Win: My long standing biased fascination with Tina Fey not withstanding, she really deserves this award as her work on 30 Rock as the sometimes frumpy, never-quite capable Liz Lemon really fleshed out in the show’s second season and created one of the great characters on TV. She writes good parts, especially for herself, and the way 30 Rock evolved even more in its sophomore season shows that. Applegate is a capable actress, as is everyone else on the list including former winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus, but Fey should take home the trophy.

Who Will Win: The voters like past winners, we’ve said this before time and time again, and it still holds true here as Julia Louis-Dreyfus is sure to once again prove the Seinfeld curse long dead.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Alec Baldwin (30 Rock/NBC)
Tony Shalhoub (Monk/USA)
Lee Pace (Pushing Daisies/ABC)
Steve Carell (The Office/NBC)
Charlie Sheen (Two and a Half Men/CBS)

Who Should Win: It’s with a clear understanding that this is a race between Carell and Baldwin with the award going to one of them, but which one? Baldwin has a slight edge in the fact that the sophomore season of 30 Rock was so good and with such a great, posturing story arch for his character over the course of the season. His dry wit and desire to be head of GE and his play off of guest star Will Arnett was impeccable. Carell is on an established show, is the bigger move star (these days) and also delivers each line like it just masterfully appeared in his head, and while he also had a great season, I really think this is going to go to Baldwin.

Who Will Win: Steve Carell. The voters love a successful movie and TV star to broaden the scope of network television, especially in a year when cable really took it to the big five networks. Expect Carell to walk away with this by the end of the evening.

Outstanding Comedy Series

30 Rock (NBC)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Entourage (HBO)
The Office (NBC)
Two and a Half Men (CBS)

Which One Should Win: 30 Rock, the writing, direction, acting, jokes, in-jokes, etc. all compile into a spectacular showing for Tina Fey and company on the producing staff. Everything about 30 Rock that won it the award in its first season was upped to another level in its second and to not recognize that with the award would be criminal.

Which One Will Win: The biggest award of the night for comedies should go to the program that also most deserves it with 30 Rock walking away from the ceremony as a two time winner.