Have sitcom guest spots become the new career rehab stations for scandal-plagued starlets? This week, we’ve had news that Paris Hilton is appearing in a fantasy sequence on My Name Is Earl (airing Apr. 3), and that Britney Spears (left) is filming a spot on March 24’s How I Met Your Mother (she’s playing a dermatologist’s assistant who develops a crush on the unsuspecting Ted, played by Josh Radnor, at right). (And we know that Lindsay Lohan has been in talks for a while with the Ugly Betty folks for a guest arc.)
I think these guest spots are a smart move for the performers. No heavy lifting, demonstration of an ability to poke fun at yourself, and just enough work, at regular hours, to prove your professionalism and dependability.
Only downside is the potential resentment by other comeback-seeking stars. According to TV Guide, Alicia Silverstone dropped out of the Spears HIMYM ep because she feared (justifiably, I’d say) that Britney would upstage her. How are scandal-free stars in need of a comeback supposed to reestablish themselves if the scandalous stars are stealing their thunder?
Show of hands: Who’s looking forward to watching Britney on HIMYM or Paris on Earl? Who thinks these guest spots are a step in the right direction that will help these starlets get back on solid footing — and who thinks they’re too little too late? And what other scandal-repair stunt-casting would you like to see?
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I was rather looking forward to seeing Alicia Silverstone on “How I Met Your Mother.” But now, thanks to Britney, that’s not going to happen. So I’m just a little miffed at the whole thing. I still think Britney needs to disappear for a little while before attempting her comeback. It’s like I once said to Ben Affleck (in that fictional conversation we had a few years ago), “How can we miss you if you won’t go away?”
I’ll watch HIMYM anyway, Britney or no Britney, because it’s a great show. They do the stunt casting thing pretty well, and the idea of our Ms. S as a dental assistant? Already funny. But Verity’s right – it’s too bad Alicia Silverstone dropped out.
Rumor has it that Alicia will be The Mother, as in How I Met Your….the girl who Ted ends up having kids with. It would be a shame to have that lovely stunt casting thrown off by Brit-Brit. I’d think she’d be picking a more popular show to do a turn on. Wouldn’t it be great to have her eaten by a black smoke monster on Lost?
I actually think Britney on Earl makes more sense. I mean…she wouldn’t even have to go to wardrobe or makeup.
Britney being on HIMYM makes me angry at the show for using a gimmick. Any actual actress could have played the part way better. Britney is just gross and needs to go away.
But maybe I’m a hypocrite because I totally don’t mind Paris. I don’t know what the line between a fun attention whore and an obnoxious attention whore is but Paris manages the first one while Britney dominates the second.
i’m sad about alicia dropping out. that was way harsh, tai.
I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be ugly, but I gotta do this: Gary, when you ask is Paris ‘going to get back on track’ I have to ask: On track to what????? Whenever people mention her name I change the channel, but I do remember when she went to jail for a day and people were wondering if it would affect her career and my answer always was: WHAT *#%*ING CAREER??????
Well, Britney wasn’t terrible when she guested on “Will & Grace”, so I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt. Paris, on the other hand, ruined those first couple episodes of “Veronica Mars” for me, so, ew. It’s too bad about Alicia Silverstone, though – scandal-free, talented, worthy of a comeback. Hopefully she can guest somewhere else sooner rather than later.
I just hope Britney’s appearance on HIMYM makes people watch the show! It’s so good, and I live in perpetual fear that it will get pulled off the air for bad ratings.
I’m OK with Britney – heck, anything to get her back on track sounds good, and HIMYM seems pretty harmless. But Paris? Ehh… only if Joy can beat the beegeezus out of her! None of these girls have established themselves to be taken seriously, so a sitcom seems like a good way to face a little humility.
evie, i think the producers of how i met your mother also hope that britney’s appearance makes people watch the show.
I love HIMYM so I’d watch regardless of who they put on. I don’t think Britney will be bad though she was good on Will and Grace.
I’ll watch HIMYM anyway cause it’s a good show and Neil Patrick Harris and Jason Segal are H-O-T!!!
Barely interested in Britney. Not interested in Paris AT ALL. Interested in Alicia Silverstone. I guess I lose. Something tells me I’m not alone.
As much as I can, I like to live in a Paris-free zone, so I’ll be skipping Earl that night. Britney is fine and won’t keep me from HIMYM. If done well, these cameos can be funny.
Dont watch HIMYM so no comment, but as a big fan of My Name is Earl I am going to make sure I know which night Paris is goingto be on and not watch it, as well as remove it from my DVR list.
Don’t know whose idea it was to give the no talent ameatuer porn actress a role on the show, but there a thousand actress who actually have talent that would love to be on the show who did not come from privialge backgrounds and could not buy several publicists.
SHAME ON MY NAME IS EARL! For a show about karma and retribution…you seem to be missing your own point. Good things should not happen to skank people like Paris Hilton.
Alicia Silverstone is just moving to another guest spot on HIMYM, not dropping out altogether, so all you angry people will see be able to see ol’ vegan Alicia. Simmer down, y’all!!
I don’t watch either show, so I’m not looking forward to either one. And the circumstances of Paris’ and Britney’s hyper-publicized lives are completely different, so you can’t really compare them. I do think that if Britney can pull this off without doing anything outrageous in the process, it will be a huge step toward showing the public that she’s trying to get herself straightened out.
i just hope that britney’s appearance will bring millions of eyeballs to himym so that it gets renewed.
Heck YES I want to see Brit on TV in something other than celebrity news!
I’m not a huge fan of the whole “guest star” cameo unless it’s done really well. Too often it just doesn’t work, i.e. Brad Pitt on Friends. It’s just too obvious it’s a stunt to pull in ratings.
Don’t care about Brit or Paris so I’ll be passing on both of these.
Love the HIMYM, and how could anyone NOT have a crush on Ted? I would have liked to see someone else in her shoes, though. I guess she couldn’t let Mandy Moore win this one.
Why HIMYM Why???
No way. I’ve sworn to avoid exposure to Paris Hilton as much as possible. As for Britney, I don’t want to see or hear from her until she’s acheived some sort of normalcy and maintained for a couple of years.
So torn about the HIMYM cameo. I know it is being done for better ratings (the show absolutely deserves them) but Britney? In the end, I want to see the show survive to S4 (and beyond), so go for it and I will hope for the best.
That said, no cameo can overshadow the hotness that is Cobie Smulders.
Also, Silverstone as the mother? Interesting. I am always amazed at how much the future daughter looks like Robin.
I will so watch both, as I watch those shows anyway, but no matter how good brit brit maybe on this guest shot it wont help her career, sadly not that many people watch the funny HIMYM to begin with
I love “How I Met Your Mother” and I’m interested to see Britney Spears guest. On the other hand, as much as I love “My Name is Earl” I’m a bit disappointed that Paris Hilton will be appearing on an episode. I guess you could say I’m not a fan.
I would MUCH rather see Alicia Silverstone than Britney Smears. She’s not an actress (at least not in profession) and she should be getting HELP, not trying to get more publicity. Let real actors and actresses have their chance instead of f’d up paparazzi wh-res!
I know, I know, throw your daggers and knives at me, but I will purposely NOT watch these shows BECAUSE these has-beens/wannabes will be on them…I don’t wish to encourage similar folks to show up on my fave shows…how would YOU like it if Andrew Dice Clay showed up on Lost? Would you enjoy it even more? What about Andy Dick on Heroes? Would that make you happy? People who have no business being on tv should not BE on tv…end of story…
Ever since Pee Wee Herman did that Mtv awards show after his arrest for indecent exposure, tv show cameos have become the preferred comeback method for many fallen stars.
I’m a fan of comebacks, no matter how they happen. Yesterdays person who we loved to hate can come back tomorrow with a new and likeable persona. George Foreman and Drew Barrymore did it. I think fallen stars can do it, and cameos are a better medium than reality tv. Unless of course you are Hulk Hogan…
Kudos to Britney and Paris for staying out of the tabloids long enough to do some real work.
PS can we get Britney to dump scarface and find herself a decent guy who won’t exploit her?
I don’t see why everyone is complaining… we all know that the networks are doing it for ratings and money. I would prefer to see Alicia too, but come on…. I think more people are interested to see if Britney does a good job (not to mention act accordingly) more so than they are interested in seeing Alicia do a the good job we all know she’s going to do.
Besides, if you don’t like it… then don’t watch the show! That’s the only way you’ll really send a message (but then you’ll have to get like, 30 million other people to do it too).