'How I Met Your Mother' recap: 'I'm not ready for this'

Well, that was a harsh way to start off the new year. Monday' s episode title -– "Bad News" -– was a major giveaway, but I still didn't expect it to be quite so bad.

Bad news for Robin (Cobie Smulders): The host at her new job is Sandy Rivers (Alexis Denisof), her old coworker and onetime date. Sandy remembers it differently, though. He thought they had sex and announced it to the whole office. Robin finally convinced him that they didn't have sex, prompting Sandy to remember the real reason he finds Robin so memorable: She's the reporter who stepped off a carriage and fell into poop. Thus, Robin's new nickname, Scherpoopy -– I admit, it made me giggle -– was born. It got worse. Her new coworkers uncovered what is essentially a Robin Scherbatsky's Most Embarrassing TV Moments clip reel, featuring all my old faves, including the Robin Sparkles videos and the adult diapers commercial, but not the owl attack -- shoot. It was fun to see Robin's greatest hits -– or should I say misses? -– pulled together.

Earlier this season, I pointed out that Robin was amassing quite the embarrassing collection of videos, so it was nice to see that tie back into the story and bite her in the behind a little. Smulders response to her clip reel of embarrassment? "I think that [Robin] has the ability, like all Canadians, I should say, to laugh at ourselves and to not take ourselves too seriously," she told me. She certainly demonstrated that at the end of the episode as she donned her Robin Sparkles jean jacket. And although they're very cute, I have to ask, what's up with the glasses, Robin? Is it a nod to Clark Kent the journalist? Wanting to look more serious and smart at the new job?

Also fun: Denisof's game return as Sandy and the image of him in a bald cap, standing in front of a bear wearing a bra.

'How I Met Your Mother': 'Buffy's' Danny Strong, Alexis Denisof to guest

Danny Strong is the latest "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" alum to guest star on "How I Met Your Mother," a CBS spokesperson confirmed.

On Wednesday, Alyson Hannigan, who plays Lily on "HIMYM" and was Buffy's witchy best friend Willow, tweeted that she was working with an old "Buffy" friend. Eventually, one of Hannigan's followers guessed correctly that it was Strong, who played nerd-turned-trio enemy Jonathan. He will play a "noogey-loving bully from Marshall’s [Jason Segel] past" in an episode airing early next year, CBS told Show Tracker.

Strong isn't the only "Buffy" alum appearing on the show this season. "HIMYM's" first episode back next year on Jan. 3 will feature the return of Robin's (Cobie Smulders) former co-anchor, Sandy Rivers, played by Hannigan's real-life husband and "Buffy" costar Alexis Denisof. In the episode, titled "Bad News," said CBS, "just when Robin thinks she has a brand new start at her dream company, Sandy Rivers shows up and throws a huge wrench in her plans."

Strong continues "HIMYM's" tradition of employing actors from various Joss Whedon shows. In addition to Denisof, previous guest stars have included Amy Acker ("Angel," "Dollhouse"), Tom Lenk ("Buffy"), Morena Baccarin ("Firefly") and Harry Groener, the mayor who ate graduation on "Buffy," as Ted's (Josh Radnor) stepdad.  Last December, co-creator Carter Bays told Show Tracker, "We're huge fans. Alyson [Hannigan] we became fans of from 'Buffy.' There's certainly a big talent pool there, and we've tried to mine that as much as we can.”

Readers, are you excited for the return of Sandy Rivers? Are you hoping Strong's character also crossed paths with Lily in college? And who's your favorite "HIMYM" guest star from the Whedonverse?

— Vlada Gelman (follow my TV musings on Twitter at @stayingin)

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'How I Met Your Mother' recap: A few of my favorite things

'How I Met Your Mother' recap: The Little Mermaid was a manatee

Complete 'How I Met Your Mother' coverage on Showtracker

Photo: Sandy Rivers (Alexis Denisof) and Robin (Cobie Smulders) in Season 1. Credit: CBS

'How I Met Your Mother' recap: A few of my favorite things

Monday night's episode of "How I Met Your Mother" felt like a real turning point for many of the characters. When Lily (Alyson Hannigan) and Marshall (Jason Segel) announced that she was pregnant, it caused the gang to reexamine their lives. For Robin (Cobie Smulders), it meant rethinking her decision to become a hot coin-flip girl on the game show “Million Dollar Heads or Tails,” hosted by Alex Trebek. She decided to take the boring, off-camera research job at World Wide News instead. Barney (Neil Patrick Harris), meanwhile, decided to give his bonus to charity rather than buy a diamond-lined suit. First, he staged his own version of "Oprah's Favorite Things" in the bar. Barney's bellowing/yelling of Oprah voice -- “You get a lap dance! You get a lap dance! Everybody gets a lap dance!” -- was spot-on. And the reaction Barney imagined was perfect and not at all a case of comedy over-exaggeration. If you've ever watched, you know they really are that crazy and over the top. While watching this season's two-part "Favorite Things" episodes, I laughed so much at the audience's reactions that I thought they should make a comedy pilot out of it. Close enough, I guess.

Barney was about to give the rest of his money to the church where James' (Wayne Brady) father worked, but then he got a text from Marshall and Lily that it was false positive. The same text caused Robin to reconsider her decision to take the World Wide News job. “That research job sounds hard. And I'm pretty. I'm really, really pretty,” she thought to herself.

Marshall and Lily were actually relieved not to be pregnant. They'd spent the last day and a half freaking out and manically doing baby prep, which included using bubble wrap to baby proof their apartment. When they announced that maybe they weren't ready to have kids, Ted (Josh Radnor) lost it. He ordered them to go home and get pregnant. He told Barney to return the diamond suit and give the money to charity before announcing to the criminals of New York that Barney was wearing a pants leg that was enough to retire on. And then he laid it on Robin, telling her to take the job she came to New York for, the one she made a New Year's resolution to get. I loved that Ted was the one to set his friends back on their paths. Because Ted is the guy who has his path laid out, but he hasn't found the woman yet who will follow it with him. So while all his friends are living their lives, he's waiting. And when he sees them about to squander what's at their fingertips, he sets them back on track as he longs for what they have and goes to see “It's a Wonderful Life” by himself.

'How I Met Your Mother' recap: The Little Mermaid was a manatee

The group warned Ted (Josh Radnor) that hanging out alone with Zoey (Jennifer Morrison) is dangerous because she's married. But it's OK if you're old friends, Marshall (Jason Segel) pointed out, using himself and Robin (Cobie Smulders) as an example. Lily (Alyson Hannigan) responded that he and Robin never hang out alone, so they made a dinner date. While Robin and Marshall scenes are definitely rare – Smulders has said it's because they can't keep a straight face together – we've seen some bonding time before between the two of them. We saw them get trapped together in a car in “Three Days of Snow.” And it was Marshall who first took Robin to the Hoser Hut in “Little Minnesota.” But yes, those are rare treats, every one of which I really enjoyed, so it was great to see the show revisit their friendship.

Their dinner date got off to an awkward start when they went through all their topics of conversation – cold weather, sports, and cold weather sports – in 16 seconds. The stared at each other, their opposite eyes hilariously twitching. Marshall explained that the reason they never hang out together is because of The Mermaid Theory. Cue Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) and Marshall in a pirate flashback. The myth of the mermaid originated when lonely pirates started to imagine that the big, ugly manatees were beautiful mermaids. Every woman, no matter how plain or ugly, has a mermaid clock, Barney explained, and when it stops ticking, she becomes a mermaid. Cue Marshall seeing Robin dressed up as a manatee. It was in that moment that I realized why I love Marshall and Robin scenes. Smulders and Segel are gung-ho, hilarious actors who really go for it and play off each other so well comedically. After a night of drinking, Marshall's beer goggles started to see Robin as a manatee with mermaid features (seashell bra, blond hair). (Is there an embarrassing outfit Smulders hasn't worn by this point?) It seemed as if Marshall's fears about Robin becoming a mermaid, “singing 'Part of Your World' to my pants,” were coming true. Then Robin threw up in front of him. After that, she was forever a manatee to Marshall and they were “closer than ever,” said Future Ted. I demand to see more Marshall and Robin scenes after that declaration.

Fictional mystery writer in 'Castle' creates another real bestseller with 'Naked Heat'

It's not exactly a novel idea to create a TV show based on a bestseller ("True Blood," "Dexter," "Gossip Girl"), but turning a plot device into a bestselling book has become a popular trend in prime time (but not a new one). ABC's quirky crime drama "Castle" has churned out two bestsellers: "Heat Wave" (16 weeks on New York Times list), and its sequel, "Naked Heat" (No. 19 on Los Angeles Times list), which were used in key storylines. Carolyn Kellogg examines this publishing phenomena in Friday's Calendar section.

Publishing the books was a natural progression as "Castle's" premise began with a serial killer imitating the plots of the show's star, famous mystery writer Richard Castle's books. The charming, wise-cracking novelist (played with panache by Nathan Fillion) and the tough, sexy, NYPD Det. Kate Beckett (Stana Katic), whom he accompanies to crimes scenes to assist in solving cases, exchange innuendo-filled banter reminiscent of David and Maddie in "Moonlighting".

Other shows have experimented with this type of cross marketing with varying degrees of success.

In 2001, HarperEntertainment published a novel featured on the NBC soap opera "Passions." "Hidden Passions: Secrets from the Diaries of Tabitha Lenox," tied into a storyline that involved characters promoting the book that exposed secrets of the locals. It reached No. 4 on the New York Times bestseller list.

 "Lost" fans were treated to "Bad Twin" (Hyperion), written by fictitious author Gary Troup, a supposed passenger on the doomed Oceanic Flight 815. His draft, turned in before he boarded the flight, contained secrets to several castaways lives.

Last month, womanizer Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris), star of the CBS hit sitcom "How I Met Your Mother," wrote (along with staff writer Matt Kuhn) "The Playbook: Suit Up. Score Chicks. Be Awesome." (Touchstone).

Most recently, Grove Press issued the "reprinting" of "Sterling's Gold: Wit & Wisdom of an Ad Man," the long lost musings of "Mad Men's" silver haired ad exec Roger Sterling.

"Castle" is taking the cross marketing one step further, venturing onto the soundstages of Hollywood. An upcoming episode follows the crew to L.A. where the movie version on "Heat Wave" is being filmed. Laura Prepon ("That 70's Show") has been cast as the actress hired to play Nikki Heat (aka Beckett) who follows the detective around as she tries to solve a murder.

  

 

And just who does Richard Castle think should play the fictional magazine journalist, Jameson Rook, in the "Naked Heat" movie?

"If it were up to him, he'd have George Clooney," said executive producer Andrew W. Marlowe. "But it'd probably be Jason Bateman because of the resemblance." Perhaps a clue to upcoming stunt casting?

Who do you think should play Castle? 

 -- Liesl Bradner

Top image: Cover of "Naked Heat." Credit: Associated Press

Bottom photos: Actor Nathan Fillion, left, and Jason Bateman. Credit: Getty Images

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Richard Castle's elaborate fiction

 

 

'How I Met Your Mother' recap: A curse and forgiveness on Thanksgiving

Jorge Garcia (“Lost”) stopped by Monday night's Thanksgiving episode and was once again playing a cursed character. He was Steve, a college friend of Marshall (Jason Segel) and Ted's (Josh Radnor) who had the curse of the Blitz. Whenever he left the room, something really cool happened. After Ted revealed his plans to stuff a turkey with a smaller turkey, which he dubbed a turturkeykey, he got ready to call it a night and leave the bar. Marshall and the rest of the gang protested that he shouldn't leave early or he might become the Blitz. Ted said he didn't believe in the curse — gasps all around — and left anyway. Of course, the next morning he woke up to find the apartment a mess, his friends blissfully passed out and Zoey (Jennifer Morrison) in the bathtub.

It turns out after Ted left the bar, Zoey entered and the gang had a memorable evening hanging out with her, leaving Ted to become the new Blitz. There was a skateboarding dog. Robin (Cobie Smulders) danced on the oven. Zoey gave Robin KISS face makeup while she was asleep. And there was something with a top hat called The Gentlemen, which made me think of the creepy Gentlemen from “Buffy.” Unfortunately, except for the skateboarding dog, who nailed it every time when I visited the set, I had a hard time understanding what was so awesome about their adventures. I guess you had to be really drunk. Steve's missed moments — a naked coed, an unstoppable beer tap resulting in free beer — seemed much more worthy of those emphatic “Aw, man!” responses. The curse eventually got passed to Barney, who desperately tried to pretend everything was OK before going back to Steve at the episode's end.

'How I Met Your Mother': Jorge Garcia makes a Thanksgiving visit

Jorge Garcia just can't catch a break. On “Lost,” his character, Hurley, was trapped on an island, haunted by the winning lottery numbers that brought down a hailstorm of misfortune upon him. On Monday night's Thanksgiving-themed episode of “How I Met Your Mother,” Garcia plays Blitz, a similarly unlucky-in-life character.

“Blitz is a friend of Marshall and Ted's from college,” explained Garcia when Showtracker visited the set of the episode, dubbed “Blitzgiving.” “He's the guy who always would leave the scene right before something really cool happened. That became known as the curse of the Blitz.”

Off-screen, Garcia's been more lucky. Since finishing “Lost” this year, Garcia lined up a guest spot on ABC's upcoming comedy “Mr. Sunshine,” landed on the cover of a Weezer album, got cast in the Fox pilot "Alcatraz" from "Lost" co-creator J.J. Abrams,and was approached by the “HIMYM” team to play Blitz.

“They contacted my people. They said that they had this part that they liked me for and they sent the treatment for the story,” he said. “I thought it was a cute story and this would be a fun group to come and play with.”

Going from the heavy drama of “Lost” to the sitcom world of the CBS series was not as jarring for Garcia as one might expect. “I was on 'Becker', so this is kind of almost like a hybrid between the two,” he said. “It's still three cameras, but there's no audience.” And there was a familiar face on set in Jason Segel, who starred with Garcia in the 2005 film “The Good Humor Man.” “It was just this last summer, the night before Emmy party, that I saw him after all that time,” Garcia recalled. “So it's been cool, in a way, reconnecting with him.”

'How I Met Your Mother': Jennifer Morrison goes for laughs

On “House,” Jennifer Morrison tried to save lives. Now she's making life miserable for Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) on “How I Met Your Mother” as passionate activist Zoey. After bonding over their mutual love of architecture, Ted and Zoey realized they were on opposite sides: Zoey's trying to save a historic building, which is  about to be torn down for Ted's new building. To top it off, Ted discovered Zoey was married. Recently, Show Tracker visited the set of “How I Met Your Mother” as they were filming Monday's episode, “Blitzgiving,” and chatted with Morrison about joining the comedy series, what's ahead for Zoey and whether she could be the mother.

What's it like jumping into the comedy world?
It's super fun. I'm having such a good time. I really am. Absolutely no complaints right now. I did a couple of comedy pilots before I did “House.” I was in “Big Stan” with Rob Schneider. I played his wife in that. I was in “Surviving Christmas” and played a funny character. My career's sort of been speckled with comedy here and there. I grew up doing both comedy and drama on stage. For me, it was nice to jump on something that was the opposite of what I'd been doing for so long.

Was it important to you to find something lighter after “House”?
Yeah. I definitely wanted to do that. I think for some reason in the industry, people think that even if you had done something funny before doing a drama, it's like, “Oh, she's been on a drama for six years, so she must have forgotten how to be funny.” [Laughs] I think people somehow have it in their mind that once we do one thing that's all we can do. So I definitely, for multiple reasons, wanted to jump on a comedy. Partly just personally because I thought it'd be really fun to do something light and fun and funny and goofy for a while. And also because I wanted to continue doing more than just one thing.

'How I Met Your Mother' recap: Beavers, long division and space

During my chat with executive producer Craig Thomas, he told me that the third installment of the Robin Sparkles (Cobie Smulders) saga would be “completely different.” He was right. Yes, we saw the show on which Robin Sparkles got her start — “Space Teens,” a kids show about “two average Canadian teenagers who solve crimes in space using math,” as Robin described it. It gave the group and me some laughs, but more than it, “Space Teens” caused them to examine their own friendships after they learned that Robin hadn't spoken to her co-star/BFF Jessica Glitter (Nicole Scherzinger) in five years. The group deduced that Robin had dumped Glitter when she got pregnant. Lily (Alyson Hannigan) worried that the same thing was going to happen to her. Robin was getting sick of her talking about babies all the time. It's interesting how Robin's annoyance mirrored a complaint I've been seeing in the comments here about Marshall (Jason Segel) and Lily being too focused on getting pregnant this season.

After Lily and Robin broke up following a fight, Marshall brought Lily to visit Glitter, who's now working as an organist for the New York Rangers. She revealed that it was she who broke up with Robin when she got pregnant, and Robin didn't take it so well. It's very Robin that she would pull away from Lily before she could break her heart and dump her like Glitter. When Lily realized she was doing the same thing as Glitter, sans baby, she rushed to the Hoser Hut to apologize to Robin, who was feeling remorseful herself.

“I hate most babies. Your baby? I'm going to love that kid so much. I'm going to pick it up and everything,” Robin told Lily.

'How I Met Your Mother': Robin Sparkles makes a 'racy' return

When it comes to CBS' “How I Met Your Mother,” there are two things guaranteed to get fans in a tizzy. The first involves clues about the identity of the mother. The second is Robin Sparkles, the failed Canadian pop star alter-ego of Cobie Smulders' character, Robin Scherbatsky, who made her first appearance in the ridiculously catchy, '80s-esque music video “Let's Go to the Mall.” With her “cool graffiti coat,” jelly bracelets and a robot at her side, Robin Sparkles promised to “rock your body 'til Canada Day.”

“I love that it caught on,” says executive producer Craig Thomas. “When we were first writing that, we’re like, 'Have we lost our minds? Is this just insane?'” 

In this case, insanity -- and the simple question, “What if Alanis Morissette had those songs in Canada and was just a complete failure after that?” says Thomas -- bred genius. Robin Sparkles returned in Season 3 with the ballad “Sandcastles in the Sand,” the video for which featured cameos from Alan Thicke and Tiffany.

“That feels like an honest arc of, like, a very short-lived pop career,” says Thomas. “Like the big, catchy hit single, the failed attempt at a ballad, and then who knows where the hell they went.”

Viewers know where Robin ended up, but in tonight's episode, “Glitter,” they'll discover the start of Robin Sparkles' journey. After teasing a variety show last season, featuring the pop star and Thicke, Robin Sparkles makes her much anticipated return thanks to the doing of –- who else? -– Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris).

'How I Met Your Mother' recap: A night at the museum

Going into tonight's episode, “Natural History,” I had a feeling I'd like it because I watched a commercial where Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) said, “Niled it!” and it made me laugh. A lot. It's a pretty good sign when just a commercial can crack you up. But “Natural History” was more than just one of the funniest episodes in a while. It was also rich with character development, emotion and reveals as all the characters, including Zoey (Jennifer Morrison) and her husband (Kyle MacLachlan), gathered at a fundraiser at the Natural History Museum.

For Robin (Cobie Smulders) and Barney, this was a perfect setting for a game of one-upmanship. Ignoring the Do Not Touch sign, Barney briefly touched one of the museum exhibits. “I didn't realize you were small potatoes. And to be clear, I was referring to your testicles,” Robin replied, languidly grazing the statue. Whether you like them together as a couple or not, Barney and Robin have always played off each other very well in storylines that have them separate from the group, going back to Season 1's “Zip, Zip, Zip.” There's a competitiveness between them, but also a lot of mutual respect and a gung-ho attitude. Watching them run round the museum, turtle drumming, using the stuffed lion's teeth to open beer bottles and even wearing outfits from the exhibits was as fun as it looked. But it wasn't just fun and games. When the museum guard caught them, he opened the incident file from when a 6-year-old Barney knocked down the blue whale and revealed that Barney's uncle Jerry actually marked himself down as Barney's father on the report. What a clever and unexpected reveal. Barney learned who his father is, but the audience remains in the dark. And I loved that Robin is the one that got to share this moment with him.

'How I Met Your Mother' recap: Happy Post-Halloween Walk of Shame Parade

The show celebrated Halloween a day late, but found a clever way to work in the holiday-less Nov. 1 date. After a Halloween party at Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) and Marshall's (Jason Segel) office, they joined Ted (Josh Radnor) for their favorite Halloween tradition – the morning after Annual Post-Halloween Walk of Shame Parade. Every Nov. 1, the guys watch from their stoop as girls walk home still in costume from their one night stands. This year was extra special because they caught Robin (Cobie Smulders) walking in her “Florence Nightinbedwithastranger” costume, as Barney calls it. Robin led Lily (Alyson Hannigan) to believe she'd slept with Marshall and Barney's co-worker Randy (Will Forte), but “where's the poop?” made a return. Lily – no pun intended – sniffed out the truth. Jealous that her coworker Becky was becoming even more well-liked after doing a cheesy commercial, Robin did one for adult diapers.

“I'm going to the bathroom right now,” went the ad. “Say, 'Ahhhhh.'” If it wasn't for Smulders, I'm sure the ad would have been more squicky than funny, but thanks to her delivery of the sweet release, I couldn't help but laugh. Between this commercial, which Future Ted said ran for seven years, and Robin Sparkles, the show sure is building up quite a catalog of embarrassing media for Robin. While I'd love for her to get a great break, it's quite fun to see Smulders so gamely go for shame.

While Randy didn't get to sleep with Robin, he did get fired, which led him to realize he could use the severance pay to start his own beer brand – Wharmpess, as in his last name. (Check out the show's mock ad for the beer below.) When Marshall hired him back, Randy did everything in his power to get fired. It wasn't until Marshall tried his “delicious” beer that he finally fired him. “I care about making dreams come true,” said Marshall in GNB's feel good video. Did the fake “I care” videos from GNB employees remind anyone else of the Veridian Dynamics ads on “Better Off Ted”? Oh right, only me and 10 other people watched that show. Anyway, Randy's return was a nice bit of continuity, and Forte is certainly a great comedian, but the storyline kind of fell flat for me. Randy's just not that interesting.