Neil Patrick Harris on Britney's "How I Met Your Mother" guest spot...

No, hell did not freeze over.

I had to break my rule of being a Britney-free zone because there is actually news about the pop star that doesn't involve head shaving, s Starbucks incident, an ambulance or a court appearance. Britney Spears, who has enjoyed a relatively stable life in recent weeks, has signed to do a guest spot on CBS' "How I Met Your Mother" and Neil Patrick Harris had a few things to say about it to "Entertainment Tonight" that I found quite amusing:

"I was shocked that Madame Spears was willing to come and do some acting. She hasn't acted in a while. This is a very interesting role. It is very not like her at all in real life in any of her previous chapters. She plays the secretary to another girl that Ted [Josh Radnor] is after. So, it will be very unlike any Britney we have seen before, and we have seen a lot of Britney recently."

Neil also says that the cast and crew of "Mother" are not gearing up for an onslaught by the paparazzi, because they do not film on location, but rather on the FOX lot. But he did kiddingly float a ridiculous theory that the pop princess may secretly be a tabloid headline mastermind: "What if she shows up on set and she is absolutely, totally normal and that whole thing has been a big ruse? She is smoking a cigarette and [says], 'Oh yes, it is all a big bit. I have a master plan.'"