Neil Patrick Harris: March 2008 Archives

The photo above has nothing to do with the following item, I just thought it was kinda hot!

So last week, Towleroad.com's Andy Towle posted about Britney Spears' imminent guest appearance on "How I Met Your Mother." Soon thereafter a wide variety of reports began circulating about Spears' time on the set, some of which were, according to Neil Patrick Harris, a bit misleading. NPH released a statement to Towleroad this afternoon in an effort to clear up any confusion about remarks he was heard to have made about the pop star:

Said Harris: "In response to the recent weekly rag item regarding Britney Spears appearing on our show, I want to offer a little clarification, and to avoid any further drama, I thought I should act quickly. First, I honestly respect the fact that she is re-establishing herself in the industry and we are proud that she was able to be part of our show. Secondly, I would never refer to her as a 'nightmare' as she was extremely professional, punctual and pleasant during her time on set. I did say that her life has been somewhat 'nightmarish,' but only in reference to being hounded by the media and paparazzi around the clock. If there was a negative, I suppose it was the scrutiny. Everyone was on guard, concerned for Britney's well-being. We were conscious of camera phones, wary of strangers. Her world may be hectic, so we wanted her to feel comfortable in ours. Truly. No spin. She did her job, and did it well."
That clears it up for me!

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.'"

AfterElton.com reminds us that tonight's episode of CBS' "How I Met Your Mother" ( 8:00 PM EST) is a rerun that features another appearance by Wayne Brady as Barney's gay brother, James. Barney, of course, is played by Emmy nominee Neil Patrick Harris.

In the episode, the brothers (James used to be the gay version of skirt-chasing Barney), the boys attend the Victoria's Secret Fall Fashion Show and features a guest spot from Heidi Klum. I have not seen this episode but I did see Brady's first appearance last season as James and it was an absolute riot. So, I can confidently recommend this repeat sight unseen.

Enjoy!