Oscar-winning ex-lovers Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová invited the actor to perform a very “personal song” with them in LA. Some might say TOO personal! It included his phone number. Watch here and let’s agree not to call.

Last night’s How I Met Your Mother finally saw Britney take a meaningful stab at no longer appearing to the public as a drugged-up/sex-crazed ditz by taking on a role as a receptionist/sex-crazed ditz. But in a sweet way! And she was passable, if only momentarily awkward. Let’s go to the tape, kicking off with a ghostly collage of Brit images (nice one, YouTube).

If you need context for Britney’s airheadedness, watch the whole thing at CBS. Or if you just need to recreate the magic moment in the comfort of your own bra and panties, you can bid in the auction for her HIMYM wardrobe.

Also the show featured Big Star’s “Thirteen” in the scene where Ted and the girl from Scrubs (aka Becky #2 from Roseanne) have a two-minute date (she played a single mom so only has time for a two-minute date! [Laugh track!]). It was easily the coolest song played on the show since Your Mother got Slanted and Enchanted. Also, “How I Met Your Mother” is the name of a piece in David Berman’s poetry collection Actual Air. Just sayin’ is all.

Following in the footsteps of a certain familiar white trash icon, Britney Spears has announced a cameo on CBS in an attempt to bolster her public image. Via AP:

Spears will guest star in a March 24 episode of the cult series, CBS spokeswoman Kelli Raftery told The Associated Press on Tuesday. The pop star will portray a receptionist in a dermatologist’s
office named Abby who becomes “smitten” with Ted (Josh Radnor), Raftery said.

Craig Thomas, the show’s creator, told Usmagazine.com that Spears attended a table reading with the cast on Monday, and that her scenes will probably be filmed later this week. He said
representatives for Spears approached the CBS about “Mother” because “she was looking for a small part on a funny show.”

Of course this won’t be Brit’s first sitcom stopover (remember this?), but even with those thespian chops we’re not sure she’ll top Mandy Moore’s guest appearance in this season’s premiere as a tattooed drunk chick Neal Patrick Harris’s character Barney referred to as 1994 Courtney Love.”

Summer was fun etc., but we’ve been riding unreasonable levels of excitement for the fall TV season; us high culture junkies are in need of a fix. And this fall more than any other — riding the well documented successes of the Alexandra Patsavas cabal and the “‘Young Folks’ Effect”? — the shows are out to hook you with their super hip music tastes. Take Gossip Girl, the new Josh Schwartz show aimed at trendy youngsters, kicking off right away with … “Young Folks.” Trend-setting stuff, right at the open. Or Dirty Sexy Money, the new Donald Sutherland show which featured a limo scene soundtracked by … “Young Folks.” Okay, no, let’s go to Californication, the David Duchovny-starring Showtime series with inter-segment segue music that’s … right, a legal rip of “Young Folks.”

Creative TV types, what’ll they come up with next.

Of course there was a lot more than just PB&J popping up on shows this week, so for this very special PREMIERE WEEK EXTRAVAGANZA edition of Show Tunes, we’ve rounded up tracks appearing in shows’ premiere eps (and from this week which had seasons already in progress ’cause why not) and broken ‘em down into a cute little list.

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The Megan Mullaly Show is truly the dumps (so say our daytime-TV watching pals), but get How I Met Your Mother‘s Neil Patrick Harris and Jason Segel going about broadway musicals and the results are YouTubulous. The pair clearly take pride in their Javert and Valjean reenactment on “Confrontation.” Good thing Doogs is out-and-proud now; the Denial police would’ve never let him live this one down. (via Gawker)

From tonight’s How I Met Your Mother, one of the greatest fake music videos in sitcom history (not much competition there, but still…). It’s aboot the mall, and it has a robot!

For context, watch the episode on Innertube.

What’s that? You want the tune on your Zune? Done and done!
Robin Sparkles – “Let’s All Go To The Mall” (MP3)

Is this what Alanis sounds like?

Some of Stereogum’s favorite television series returned to air this week, and we kept tabs on which cool bands provided the soundtrack.

While it’s not even Sweeps yet, we’re crowning the TV Exposure > Album Sales winner Grant-Lee Phillips. Two songs from the same album on two hot shows: How I Met Your Mother had “Boys Don’t Cry” and Grey’s Anatomy had “Under The Milky Way.” Both from Grant’s excellent nineteeneighties covers album. Sample “So. Central Rain” at MySpace.

Elsewhere, the wife and I are enjoying a game of name-that-singer with every new episode of Weeds. So far this season, “Little Boxes” has been covered by Elvis Costello, Death Cab For Cutie, Engelbert Humperdinck, McGarrigle Sisters, Maestro Charles Barnett, and Aidan Hawke (whose version is streaming here.) Coming up: Regina Spektor, Jenny Lewis, and Tim from Polyphonic Spree.

Hear all the aired versions here. (Shhh.)

AND we have high hopes for Studio 60‘s soundtrack. Sorkin gave us a newfound respect for “Brothers In Arms,” so we’ll be keeping an ear out on his new drama.

Hear anything cool on TV this week? Tell us!

In Stereogum’s neverending quest to tell you which indie rock song was in which network sitcom last night, we turn to Kris at PantryRaider. He heard some Pavement on that new Doogie Howser show and even took a screengrab…

“Since Michelle Williams uttered ‘It’s Been Slanted and Enchanted’ on Dawson’s Creek, indie yuppies have been either annoyed or elated with television’s shout outs. Last week’s mention of the Arcade Fire on Four Kings didn’t seem to sit so well. However, last night’s How I Met Your Mother‘s use of Pavement’s ‘Spit on A Stranger’ got me all choked up. Not final montage of Six Feet Under choked up, but there was definately a tear or two. Good thing they didn’t use the Nickel Creek version, it could have led to full waterworks.”

And if they used the Kathryn Williams version?

Kathryn Williams – “Spit On A Stranger” (MP3 Link Expired)

Then I’d be really impressed.

Apparently, How I Met Your Mother has already used “Major Leagues” in an episode? Is Stephen Malkmus the music supervisor or something?

You can also consider this the default thread to bitch about Love Monkey. I haven’t seen it yet, but some of you seem to have a lot to say about that. And the voice of Geddy Lee. How’d it get so damn high?

A reader writes…

—–Original Message—–
From: Hala D
Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2005 8:01 AM
To: Stereogum
Subject: clap your hands say “the office”?

Did I hear clap you hands say yeah soundtracking Jim’s party on “The Office” last night? Isn’t this the same band that wouldn’t play The Baitshop?

This is different, though, ’cause The Office is fucking hilarious. FYI, the song was “My Yellow Country Teeth.”

Also We Are Scientists were heard on How I Met Your Mother earlier this week and last night’s Gilmore Girls had 500 indie band references (e.g., “It’s got a nice Fountains of Wayne meets the Shins crossed with Odyssey-era Zombies and a mix of early Who and mid to late-era Replacements vibe to it”). Skid Row’s Sebastian Bach was in the episode per usual, as was Joel Gion who parodied a scene from DIG!.

Earlier we were discussing House‘s great theme: Massive Attack’s “Teardrop.” Here’s Elbow’s cover.

Elbow – “Teardrop” (MP3)