You may have seen Neil’s recent Tweet, in which he commented that he’d seen a lot of negative reactions to his opening number for the Oscars. While we don’t really think he’ll ever see this, we wanted to put together a bunch of the best reviews, for your reading pleasure. If you know of a review that we missed, please get in touch and we’ll add it to the page!

“NPH opened the show with a rousing, Broadway-style musical number. He was on fire, a vibrant presence on that stage and — as we soon learned — an impossible act to follow for co-hosts Baldwin and Martin.” ~ MTV

“An outstanding song-and-dance number from Neil Patrick Harris trumped the ho-hum opening monologue of hosts Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin.” ~ LA Times

There were understandably a lot, so we’ve given them a page of their own. You can read the rest here!

Posted by: Rach at 11:50 pm | · Filed under: Public Appearances | Comment
Tags: Oscars, Public Appearances, Reviews, TV Appearances |

Despite Tweeting to the contrary following rumours earlier in the week, Neil did indeed perform the opening number at tonight’s 82nd Annual Academy Awards. He technically didn’t lie, as Martin Short was nowhere to be seen; though it’s thought that Mr Short was supposed to join him but a recent family emergency kept him away.

We’ve started to add pictures to the gallery, and the album will be updated as more come in.

Posted by: Rach at 2:08 am | · Filed under: TV Appearances | Comment
Tags: Gallery Update, Musicals, Oscars, Public Appearances, TV Appearances |

It’s all over the internet; Neil has officially signed on to guest-star in an upcoming episode of Glee. Confirmed by eonline’s Watch with Kristin yesterday, the episode is currently being written and will see Neil star as ‘a character who is “really funny and really mean.”‘ Ultimate Gleeks adds that Neil has confirmed his role will be one episode only.

And confirmed today is the news that we posted about two days ago; Neil has officially been confirmed to direct three performances of Rent at the Hollywood Bowl in August this year. The performances will take place August 6-8. The cast is yet to be announced, but Tim Weil has joined the production as musical director. The Hollywood Bowl tickets page is here, however tickets are not currently available until the Hollywood Bowl box office reopens in the spring.

Posted by: Rach at 8:03 pm | · Filed under: Theatre | Comment
Tags: Directing, Hollywood Bowl, Rent, TV Appearances, TV: Glee |

Now for the news roundup I promised:

• Michael Ausiello from Entertainment Weekly reports that CBS has signed off on Neil’s guest appearance on FOX’s Glee. The only remaining hurdle is making sure that it can fit into Neil’s already hectic schedule!
• Popeater is reporting that Neil is being lined up to star in a new revival of “Barnum” on Broadway. Neil has talked many times about his interest in that role, though he has stated that he’s still too young for it. This new report reveals that Neil is the producer’s “only choice” – what isn’t clear, however, is the timescale in question. It’s likely this won’t be taking place imminently, but simply that whenever it does, Neil is a shoe-in for the part.
• The Superbowl is on CBS this year (this coming Sunday, Feb 7) and there’s some HIMYM related cross-promotion happening on Twitter. Craig and Carter go into a little more detail in this interview from the time of the 100th episode promotion.
• The Best and the Brightest, which Neil shot this summer, is now on Twitter and you can become a fan on Facebook. They’re calling it a “social media explosion” and they’ve been posting pictures and holding contests so far, so check them out!

Finally, there’s a lot of talk in the media that Neil should replace Simon Cowell as a full time judge on American Idol when he leaves at the end of this season. His guest stint was loved by the critics, but what do you think about him taking on the role full time? I think that without Simon, and knowing that Neil is good friends with both Ellen and Kara, there might not be enough differences of opinion to keep it interesting. And that’s before you even think about working it into his schedule, especially now with the news that HIMYM has been renewed for season 6.

Posted by: Rach at 7:58 am | · Filed under: HIMYM, TV Appearances | Comment
Tags: Barnum, Broadway, CBS, Rumours, Superbowl, The Best and the Brightest, TV Appearances, TV: American Idol, TV: Glee, TV: HIMYM, Twitter |

Neil has recorded a part in Nickelodeon’s hit series, The Penguins of Madagascar. He will voice the character of Dr Blowhole, a “malevolent dolphin who also happens to be the penguins’ longtime nemesis”.

The Penguins of Madagascar is a spin off of the hit film, Madagascar. Neil’s episode will air on Nickelodeon, Feb 15th at 8pm, and is the show’s first Nickelodeon special.

“The Penguins of Madagascar has been a huge success in transferring from film to television,” said Brown Johnson, President, Animation, Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group.  ”We’re thrilled to give fans this fantastic TV special featuring the multi-talented Neil Patrick Harris as a hilariously disgruntled dolphin.”

In “Dr. Blowhole’s Revenge,” Dr. Blowhole, tired of the penguins foiling his plans to rule land and sea, has returned to annihilate the band of brothers so he may take over the world once and for all.  The first step in his plan is to kidnap King Julien, who Dr. Blowhole mistakenly thinks is Skipper’s best friend.  The penguins set off to rescue their annoying lemur neighbor, only to find they have waddled right into a shocking double-cross.  Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private must escape the trap and save the planet before Dr. Blowhole succeeds in flooding the Earth’s surface in an effort to wipe out the existence of all land mammals.

PR Newswire has the full press release.

Posted by: Rach at 10:17 am | · Filed under: Cartoons & Animation | Comment
Tags: Animation, TV Appearances, TV: Penguins of Madagascar, Voiceover & Narration |

Exclusive news from Entertainment Weekly’s Michael Ausiello!

Remember that giant scoop I told you (via Twitter) I had gotten at the Golden Globes? This is it: Neil Patrick Harris is nearing a deal to appear in the May sweeps Glee episode that’s being helmed by his Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog director, Joss Whedon.

In retrospect, maybe I should’ve called this particular scoop “ginormous.” I think it’s warranted, don’t you?

Anyway, Harris wants to do it, and Glee creator Ryan Murphy sure as hell wants him to — he’s creating a role especially for the How I Met Your Mother scene-stealer. And yes, the part includes a little song-’n’-dance. In fact, the gig not only would reunite Harris with Whedon, it’d also reteam him with Zachary Woodlee, who choreographed the musical number in HIMYM’s recent 100th episode.

The one possible snag — and there’s always one, isn’t there? CBS has to OK its MVP’s appearance on Fox’s breakout hit. But at least since HIMYM and Glee are both produced by 20th Century Fox, there’s no conflict on their end.

So what do you think? Stoked, or stoked beyond belief? Try to describe your level of anticipation below. I know I can’t describe mine. At least not adequately.

Posted by: Rach at 7:30 am | · Filed under: TV Appearances | 3 Comments
Tags: Rumours, TV Appearances, TV: Glee |

“Nothing Suits Me Like A Suit”, the musical number from HIMYM’s 100th episode, is available to purchase on iTunes ahead of the episode’s premiere this coming Monday. It’s available internationallyas well as in the US – this link is to the UK store, where the song costs £0.79 – and has a 2 minute 50 second runtime.

Also newly available is an official audio copy of the Commentary! The Musical soundtrack. It too is available internationally on iTunes and as an MP3 download from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

We’ve added a selection of photos from the 100th episode celebration held at the Paley Centre on Thursday night to our gallery, and you can watch the cast being introduced in this YouTube video.

The cast have been hitting the promotional circuit ahead of the landmark episode, and there are various behind-the-scenes clips and interviews around, in addition to the Entertainment Tonight video we linked earlier this week. The following articles all contain some spoilers for the “Girls vs Suits”: ChicagoNow has a short interview which includes the first 40 seconds of the musical number, TVOvermind have internationally viewable versions of all the CBS behind-the scenes videos, Zap2it talk to Neil and the rest of the cast, as do IGN.

Eonline’s Kristin Dos Santos caught up with Neil and the rest of the cast at the Paley event, while The Futon Critic and The TV Addict both provide fantastic recaps.

Finally, Neil will join Snoop Dog and Niecy Nash in stopping by the Wanda Sykes show tonight, at 11/10c on Fox.

Posted by: Rach at 7:10 pm | · Filed under: HIMYM | Comment
Tags: Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, Gallery Update, Interviews: Online, Interviews: TV, iTunes, Public Appearances, TV Appearances, TV: HIMYM |

Quantum Mechanix are now taking orders for a limited edition, fully licensed Dr Horrible Maquette. It is designed in a similar style to their Firefly range, and has a projected ship date of Feb 27th, 2010. The run is limited to 1,000, and costs $69.95.

If you’re in the US, you can watch Neil’s chat with Jimmy Kimmel last night on YouTube. It’s in two parts – part one, and part two. If anybody has a link for fans outside the US, please leave us a comment! It’s a great little interview, and they cover a lot, including the Big Gay Battle, the 100th episode and Neil’s directing stint.

And while Neil lost out to Steve Carrell at the People’s Choice Awards, we’d like to congratulate Alyson on her win in the Favourite TV Comedy Actress category.

ETA: Thanks to Kat, we now have an internationally viewable Jimmy Kimmel link. You can watch the whole interview here.

Posted by: Rach at 11:47 am | · Filed under: Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog | 2 Comments
Tags: Awards & Nominations, Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, Interviews: TV, Merchandise, TV Appearances, TV: Jimmy Kimmel, Twitter |

ET Online have put up a nice piece on Monday’s 100th episode, including a video clip which interviews Neil and the rest of the cast.

“Barney Stinson has shagged many a type of Betty … many different professions and varieties, but he has never shagged a hot bartender,” Neil tells ET. “He has to sleep with her. She, in turn, refuses to date guys who wear suits, from a past relationship. And, so, he takes it upon himself to have to choose between her or suits.”

The musical tribute is part of the celebration of the 100th episode of the CBS series, which also guest stars Rachel Bilson and Tim Gunn, playing himself.

Don’t forget that you can catch Neil on Jimmy Kimmel tonight at 12.05am/11.05pm central, and the People’s Choice awards air tonight on CBS from 9/8c. Neil, Alyson and the show are all nominated.

Posted by: Rach at 11:48 am | · Filed under: HIMYM | Comment
Tags: Awards & Nominations, Entertainment Tonight, Interviews: Online, Interviews: TV, TV Appearances, TV: HIMYM, TV: Jimmy Kimmel |

First, the upcoming: Neil will be taking part in Days 17 and 18 of the SF Sketchfest. On January 30th at 8pm, and January 31st at 7pm, Neil will be appearing in “Celebrity Autobiography” alongside Rachel Dratch, Lesley Ann Warren, Fred Willard and more. Tickets are $35 for the event, taking place at Cobb’s Comedy Club in San Francisco, California, and you can purchase them here.

FOX today released their American Idol schedule for season 9. The show kicks off on Tuesday January 12th, in Boston. Neil sat in on the auditions in Dallas, which are set to air Tuesday, Jan. 26 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT).

The year is almost over and Neil is appearing on “best of” lists all over the place, including People magazine’s most intriguing people of the year, and places him at #2 on Buddy TV’s Breakout Star of 2009 list.

His Emmy’s hosting gig makes AOL TV’s Top Moments of 2009, Canada.com list him on their 2009 “Naughty and Nice” list, there’s an Honourble Mention on AfterElton’s 2009 Visibility Awards in the Theatrical Event category, for his Tony’s hosting gig. And for HIMYM, he makes TV Guide’s 25 Best Performances of the Year.

Reacting to his Golden Globe nod, Neil joked that he’d like a gift from CBS. “Maybe this year CBS or Fox will give me a new car. Didn’t they do that with all the ‘Will & Grace‘ people once? Didn’t they give them all Miatas for getting nominations or something? One can dream!”

Finally, Advocate.com has a little more from Neil’s acceptance speech at the Trevor Project event back on December 5th.

Posted by: Rach at 11:09 pm | · Filed under: TV Appearances | Comment
Tags: Event: SF Sketchfest, Events, Golden Globes, Public Appearances, Reviews, Stage, TV Appearances, TV: American Idol |