One thing I didn't enjoy much about NBC's comedy Will & Grace was the constant famous guest stars popping in almost on a weekly basis. At times, it felt like the episodes were written for those guest stars instead of writing the episodes first and then trying to find a famous person to fill in a role. Since the strike ended, I fear that How I Met Your Mother is heading towards that same path. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing guest stars here and there in a series but having them pop up week after week can get tiring. So I hope this is only a renewal stunt for the series and not something that will become the standard.

Unless you have been living under a rock, you know that Britney Spears guest starred in the March 24 episode of HIMYM. Alicia Silverstone was set to appear in a few episodes (some suspect her character would have turned out to be the mother) but bowed out when Spears was hired because Silverstone was worried that her performance would be over-shadowed by Britney's appearance.

The latest addition to the HIMYM guest star list: Dawson's Creek's James Van Der Beek! Slight spoilers about the role and episode ahead!

E! Online reports that Van Der Beek will guest star in an upcoming episode featuring the return of Robin Sparkles. The episode will reveal the B-side to "Let's Go To The Mall": a touching breakup ballad. The video for that ballad is rumored to be shot in black and white and be set on a beach. E! reveals that the actor would play the pop star's crush. According to information we have gathered about an upcoming episode titled "Sandcastles in the Sand" (also the title of Robin Sparkles' ballad) set to air at the end of April, it would seem fit that the actor plays Simon, a guy Robin had a crush on during her Sparkles days. Robin runs into him again and her crush for him is reignited (expect her to act as a teen falling in love for the first time around him). Simon spills the beans to the gang that he was in Robin's other video. You can imagine the rest!

Van Der Beek seems a fit choice for such a role since he still has his boyish good looks that made Dawson's Creek fans melt when he was on screen (I was more of a Pacey fan but I can't deny the crush power Van Der Beek had over teens back in the days).

How I Met Your Mother airs Mondays on CBS.