Eric Schwartz, aka Smooth-E, is a stand-up comedian, hilarious comedic rapper, and actor. His extremely entertaining songs have been featured on JibJab.com and The Tonight Show, as well as being enjoyed millions of times over on YouTube and MySpace. A little fact that we especially enjoy is that he is the voice of the singing paper-bag puppet "Fernando" in a Fandango commercial.

You can discover more about Smooth-E at his website SmoothE.tv or his MySpace page MySpace.com/EricSchwartz.

Q: Your spoof of Soulja Boy Tellem's "Crank that," was unnecessarily cruel. We here at WickedInfo had just gotten that song out of our heads and then you go and make "Crank That Kosha Boy," which dare we say, is even catchier and ergo impossible to get out of our heads. Does it make you happy that you've got our entire office boppin' their heads to your infectious tune?

ES: That's what Smooth-E does. Once you get a taste of the infectious juice, you want to steal the entire carafe. This phenomenon seems to happen with some of my tunes, where you realize you'd have to kill yourself to stop the fun. A year after American Idol's Sanjaya "set this place on fiya," people still tell me they can't get my "Sanjaya Anthem" out of their heads. The song has outlasted Sanjaya himself. I guess my songs are like Hanukkah: enough for one night, but they last eight.

Q: You've brilliantly parodied celebrity train wrecks such as Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears. Have you ever crafted a perfect joke that you decide not to use because it would be the proverbial beating of a dead horse?

ES: That is the reason I haven't released a song about celebrity train wrecks for a while. After my last Britney song "Eat It, Lick It, Snort It, F--k It," it felt like she started messing up too much. By the time I would have released another video, she would've been on to the next debacle.

Britney is the Facebook of train wrecks. Watching her is like reading a newsfeed:

12:01 - Britney neglects underwear.
12:02 - Britney tells pap to "F--k off" in an English accent.
12:03 - Britney drops kid.
12:04 - Britney loses custody.
12:05 - Britney admitted to padded room at UCLA Medical Center.

Britney has taken the novelty out of celebrity train wrecks. Now I have to wait until they become retro, like karate shoes and parachute pants.

Q: Week after week you top the MySpace "Top Comedians" listing. What has been your secret for maintaining such a remarkable plateau?

ES: People watch my videos and keep me there. Thanks, viewers! I guess it doesn't hurt that Tom has a soft spot for bald dudes with bad vision.

Q: Your surge into stardom has no doubt been impressive. How much credit would you give to YouTube for having a positive effect on your career?

ES: My first huge viral success came before YouTube when some kid decided he would use "Hanukkah Hey Ya!," my holiday spoof of Outkast's "Hey Ya!," to practice his flash animation skills. He tucked the cartoon deep in a non-descript folder on his website. Someone discovered it and spread it around the world to millions of viewers. It was featured on all types of media worldwide.

So, I began posting more songs and videos on my own site and got a lot of traffic. One of my songs, "Matzah!" was even animated by JibJab and debuted on "The Tonight Show." My first front-page feature on YouTube was "Crank That Kosha Boy," which pretty much put me on YouTube's map. I didn't realize how powerful they are. It's like getting played on a popular TV show, except you can watch the people watching you.

Q: Can you name us 3 reasons why Hanukkah kicks Christmas's ass to the curb?

ES: The only reason you need is that Jesus only celebrated Hanukkah. And mall Santas are creepy.

Q: When it's time for you to enjoy a good laugh, who do you turn to?

ES: Erik Estrada.

Q: Judging by your upcoming schedule, it seems like your life is a perpetual comedy marathon. How do you allot for personal downtime?

ES: I've found that downtime is the best time to work.

Q: Your website has a link for fans to book your brother Brian as a DJ. How often does he get requests to have "Smooth-E" drop some funky rhymes at his gigs?

ES: He also goes by DJ B-Nice, and sometimes, he'll drop my songs into the mix. "Crank That Kosha Boy" surprises the hell out of brides. We used to DJ together when we were kids. Now, we're working together on some upcoming dates where he'll DJ my comedy shows.

Q: Where can we catch more of you in 2008?

ES: Online: www.SmoothE.tv, myspace.com/ericschwartz. I regularly release new videos.

TV: "The World Stands Up" will air on Paramount Comedy (UK), Comedy Central (US) and throughout the Middle East.

Live: At the tour dates listed on those sites. If you want to see me in your town, request me at your local comedy spot. If people want to keep up with me, get on my e-mail list at http://www.smothe.tv.

Q: We end all interviews with word association. We say wombat and you say...

ES: Women in combat.