SHORT TAKES : Ed Expects Johnny to Sign Again

Johnny Carson still hasn’t signed for his 29th season as the star of NBC’s “Tonight Show.” But sidekick Ed McMahon says it’s likely Carson will stay on for two more seasons.

The big-voiced announcer with the booming laugh made his prediction during a taped interview this week for NBC’s “Later With Bob Costas.” The interview is scheduled for broadcast Wednesday.

McMahon said he’ll leave “Tonight” when Carson does, and “the night he says goodby, I say goodby. That’s gonna be a sad night. . . . “

Asked if he thought he personally will make it 30 years on the show, McMahon replied, “I think so. Yeah, I think so.”

NBC Entertainment President Brandon Tartikoff has said he expects that Carson will return next fall. But McMahon noted that Carson is ambivalent each year about continuing on “Tonight,” which has consistently beaten its late-night rivals in ratings.