Note: CBS decided to play it safe to air a rerun instead of this fab new episode just in case President Obama's speech runs long. Damn it. So now we'll have to wait a whole week for Barney's mom to visit. However, Christine Baranski is dropping in as Leonard's mom on chuckle-worthy Big Bang Theory which is airing just for tonight in a post-Two and a Half Men timeslot at 9:30 PM. Give it a whirl. We love those nerds almost as much as Barney. Almost.

Oh, How I Met Your Mother -- how unnecessary are your guest stars. You have an amazing cast of characters already: Neil Patrick Harris' womanizing Barney, Alyson Hannigan's aggressive Lily, Josh Radnor's wishy-washy Ted, Jason Segel's lovable Marshall, Cobie Smulders'... very Canadian Robin. Whenever you have a guest star on, be it Britney Spears, Regis Philbin or whomever, it always takes away from the existing dynamic that exists between these five young, urban professionals. That being said, tonight's guest appearance by Frances Conroy (Six Feet Under) is forgivable, because she plays Barney's mother, Loretta. Any episode that introduces members of Barney's family can be forgiven a guest star or two -- after all, we forgave the appearance of Wayne Brady as Barney's brother and Bob Barker as Barney's supposed illegitimate father. And what are we, hypocrites?

Tags: Frances Conroy, How I Met Your Mother, Neil Patrick Harris, Six Feet Under