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Now and again, we round up the all-important, all-summarizing last sentences of the biggest new-music reviews. This installment covers probably the most talked about music news of the day, for better or worse: Britney Spears’ career-rehabbing stint on last night’s episode of How I Met Your Mother.
• “She had nice comic timing for her few lines, seemed spunky, alert and with it. Considering the last 18 months of her chaotic life, all of that equals a success. Her character didn’t appear written especially for her. But Spears’ final scene with Neil Patrick Harris, who plays the show’s lothario, was a good inside joke. Harris’ Barney is trying to lure her up to his apartment to see if his broken bed has been repaired. Britney’s character replies, with chirping enthusiasm, ‘If it is fixed, can we have sex on it and then go shopping?’ Maybe there’s a future for Britney Spears out there yet.” [Fox News]
• “Here’s the problem. How I Met Your Mother is pretty much an average-to-occasionally-good sitcom… It’s featured flyby cameos for plenty of actors and other assorted hams… which must have convinced Spears’ handlers this was a reasonable start at reversing the tragic spectacle she’s become in recent months. Only problem: The role was not funny. Not quite ‘Gimme More’ at the VMAs, but not far off either.” [Newsday]
• “Spears’ best moment came early on, when Stella first begins to remove Ted’s butterfly tattoo–his ‘tramp stamp,’ which has been mentioned in earlier episodes. Ted screams, upon which Spears’ Abby rushes into the office exclaiming, ‘Doctor, are you all right? I heard a woman screaming in here.’ How many times did Spears shoot the scene? Who knows, but she got it right.” [Boston Globe]
• “The role wasn’t really juicy enough to merit the attention it got as a stunt, but it was probably appropriately suited for her tentative acting chops. At no point did she convey the edge or danger a true actress might have brought to the role, making something actually funny of her obsession. As Simon Cowell might have said if this had been a performance on American Idol: Forgettable.” [TV Guide]
i’m in agreement with the fox review on this one, what was anyone expecting beyond that? she’s not meryl streep any more than she’s sarah vaughn, but it made her sem likeable(and sane) again for the first time in a long while.
she wasn’t bad. i would like that show a lot more if it didn’t use a laugh track.
also, was i the only person who thought ‘that ’70s show did this first’ during the big star-soundtracked closing scene?
As a fan of the show, I thought it was a good episode, although it helped that Sarah Chalke got more screen time than Britney.
“Edge or danger”?
@Maura Johnston: They don’t tape the show “live before a studio audience” because they utilize so much “time shifting” as a story-telling device, the show just doesn’t lend itself to “live taping”. I actually read once that *after* they edit the show together, they “screen” it for an audience and “record” laughter, which is edited in before broadcast, but I don’t quite buy that, as the “final product” sounds like a laugh track to me.
You may have already guessed — hey! I’ve even told you — I’m a huge fan of the show, so I was quite eager to see last night’s broadcast, even though I was pissed off about how the gimmicky-casting of Britney ended up chasing off Alicia Silverstone, who was possibly being set up as “The Mother”. But I’ve made my peace about all of that, and if Britney’s appearance drew some casual viewers who might start tuning in more regularly, and this maybe saves the show — it’s on the chopping block AGAIN, thanks CBS! — I’ll be grateful for that.
Oh, wait — this post is about Britney’s PERFORMANCE. She was alright. Mandy Moore was better in the season-opener, IMO.
Also, the Fox News and Boston Globe blurbs get it right — Britney’s two best moments were the “I heard a woman screaming in here” joke and the “can we have sex on it and then go shopping” joke.
@Al Shipley: “Agreed.”
That two-minute-date sequence was not only charming but was technically brilliant. Kudos to Josh Radnor, Sarah Chalke, and Pamela Fryman for pulling that off.
Britney-issues aside, I thought it was a great episode myself. But the reviews are oddly mixed. For example…
Good: [have-you-met-ted.com]
Bad: [www.tvsquad.com]
Yay! Britney helped HIMYM score its best ratings ever!!! And THR says she probably saved the show for one more season!
Uh…thanks…
[www.hollywoodreporter.com]
I didn’t think Brit Brit was bad at all. She wasn’t given much, but that couldn’t have hurt. And, yes, Sarah Chalke also didn’t hurt…mmm.
At no point did she convey the edge or danger a true actress might have brought to the role
I don’t know about that… what about that totally awesome scene where Sun was like “What happens to pregnant women on this island?” and Britney just looks at her and says “They die.” I thought that was badass.