Comedian Paul Scheer Talks Web TV and Justin Bieber

So the International Academy of Web Television is behind this show. That's a thing? That really exists?
Yeah, I have still not met anyone from that, but apparently it exists. It's the best name for something -- I feel like it's on a strip mall above a sushi shop in Los Angeles. But no, I think it actually is a place. Dude, maybe it's Max Headroom.

This is the second year for the Streamys and the first time they have an actual host. Nervous at all?
Terribly nervous. Even though it's not on TV, it's kind of more daunting. It's still going out live. It's not a small event. It's not like the Webbys, which are in a ballroom at a Marriott or something. This is a full-on awards show for all intents and purposes -- it's at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown L.A., which seats like 2,000 people. And I'm an award show virgin -- I've been to the Emmys, but I've certainly never hosted an award show before. The good thing is that last year, they didn't have a host, so if I do a bad job, they'll just go back to not having a host, and if I do a good job, they'll just get somebody actually famous.

What's the show going to be like?
Like a regular award show with less botox and more pale skin. It'll have all the trappings of award shows you know, but the cool thing is we don't have any restrictions of television, which means we can say anything, we can do anything. It gives us freedom to have a lot more fun in the room and try some comedy bits. It'll be a little bit crazier. Auto-Tune the News is going to do a live thing. Illeana Douglas is performing with her band, this Spinal Tap-esque act called Sparhusen. There's a huge, interesting cross-section of people there.

What's the biggest difference between the Streamys and the Emmys/Golden Globes/Oscars?
Everybody in that room has worked for no pay and all these hours to get out their creative vision. Even if people don't know each other, they're all creators. That's a really cool thing. There's no hanger-ons, and everyone who is there is actually really excited to be there. It's a validation of all their hard work and lack of pay. You've got to hustle so much more when you've got a Web series, and the benefits are you get to do exactly what you want to do. I'm just nervous they won't be paying attention to me, they'll just be Twittering the whole time.

What do you think about the culture of Web exclusives and Web TV?
I love it. There's such good quality and it's an awesome way to make something with no one's input but your own. If you fail, it's because of you, and if you succeed, it's because of you. A lot of times working in TV and movies, you see an original vision get compromised so many times that it's not even what it started off as. This is something where you can really have ownership of the idea.

Are you as busy as it seems? You've got your hand in so many pots, it seems.
I love to work. I try to stay busy. Sometimes it might seem like I'm busier than I am. There are days at home where I'm just like, 'Man, I wish I had something,' and then all of a sudden something like the Streamys comes up and I'll work my butt off for 11 days. It's a great community of comedians, and if you make your own stuff, you'll always stay busy. I try to do as many things as I can. Everyone's doing really cool things, and we all get to come together on something like the Weird Al movie trailer.

Every summary of your career has 10,000 projects to choose from. If you had to choose just a few to sum you up, what would you go with?
The best thing I've ever done, in my opinion, is 'Human Giant.' That was an amazing experience to work with those guys, do our own thing, and, very much like Web TV, just get it out there. And I'm really excited about 'The League,' this show I'm doing on FX. And people always recognize me from 'Best Week Ever.' Those are the three.

Your buddy Aziz Ansari has really blown up recently.
It's awesome, he's doing so much great stuff. I'm actually at his house right now.

Are you guys working together again soon? Maybe some more 'Human Giant,' wink wink, nudge nudge?
We don't have anything set -- we have a 'Human Giant' movie idea we've talked about, but we all have different stuff going on. We weave in and out of each others' lives. I think at a certain point we'll come back to 'Human Giant' once we've put our feet on the ground in other areas.

What's the movie idea?
It's a thriller. It's not in the sketch comedy vein, it's kind of a dark movie. We're working with Ben Stiller's company on it, but that's all way far off. We have an outline and that's about it.

You're pretty plugged in with your Twitter and all. What do you think about one of the hottest stories lately, the Sandra Bullock and Jesse James news?
Well with the Streamys, it's our second year, but we really won't get any kind of real acceptance into pop culture until one of our nominees husbands has sex with a Nazi porn star. Then we'll be elevated up to the level of the Academy Awards.

I know you work with the FunnyOrDie guys -- did you meet Justin Bieber for the BieberOrDie.com April Fool's gag?
I did not. Everyone was excited, though. How can you not be excited -- it's The Biebs! That kid's got a lot of sexual energy for a 16-year-old. He's like, "What's up, gorgeous? That's nice, I like that." It's like, you're 16, c'mon, get it together, man. Take out some Pokemon cards, play with that. You know he's gonna be one of those busted 30-year-olds; he's not gonna keep that cute face. He's gonna be like that kid you went to school with who was dating when he was in fifth grade and now he's 30 and working off the back of a garbage truck or something.

Sneak preview of the Biebster's future. Awesome. Did you see he played at the White House on Monday?
Yeah, it's amazing. The White House has a pretty open-door policy now. What's next? Snooki up in the White House? I'm waiting for that 'Jersey Shore' meets Obama picture -- Obama's like, "Yeah, let's...let's get these guys outta here." I'd actually like to see season two of 'Jersey Shore' happen at the White House.

Sorry in advance, but I have to go there: The gap teeth. Jimmy Fallon had you on a list of his favorite gap-toothed celebrities in February -- you were alongside people like Madonna, David Letterman, Mike Tyson. How's that feel?
I did not know that -- that's amazing! I did not know I was in such rarefied air.

Yeah, it was cool. Now that that's over with, I can promise you this piece won't kick off by calling you that gap-toothed so-and-so from 'Best Week Ever.'
Yeah, has been a moniker that I hated as a kid, then I hated it so much I liked it, and now I've just become numb to it.

The Streamys will broadcast live on Sunday, April 11 at 5:30PM PST at www.streamys.org.

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