Britney doesn't forget lines, shave head or drink Starbucks during guest appearance

For all the hoop-la surrounding dearest Britney's appearance on last night's episode of "How I Met Your Mother," it was kind of a major letdown.

I figured - if nothing else - there'd be fodder for mockery. But there was nothing! Nothing at all! OK, so Brit didn't have to reach that far to play the ditzy blonde receptionist with a crush on main character Ted (Josh Radnor), but her appearance wasn't one of those guest spots you spend the rest of your life trying to forget. You know, like Nancy Reagan telling Gary Coleman to "just say no" to drugs on "Diff'rent Strokes." Yeah. Bet you didn't want to remember that, did you?

Next to a life-changing trip to a third world country, a guest-starring role is the best way for embattled pop stars and recently-freed-from-prison starlets to nose their way back into society’s good graces. But the best guest roles are memorable not just because they're funny, but because they're not what you expect from that person (Keith Hernandez on "Seinfeld" before he started doing Just for Men commercials).

The real guest-star success last night was Sarah Chalke (Dr. Elliot Reid of "Scrubs") who played Brit's dermatologist boss. Even though she was playing a doctor, Chalke's Stella was a far cry from the flaky and neurotic Dr. Reid we're all used to watching her play.

Any other guest appearances that stand out? (Brad Pitt on "Friends" and Mark Hamill on "The Simpsons" come to mind).

Finally, for your viewing pleasure, here is a clip of Nancy Reagan's appearance on "Diff'rent Strokes."

--Malavika Jagannathan, mjaganna@greenbaypressgazette.com