Craig Ferguson, Digesting His Correspondents' Dinner

Britney Spears has returned to work on the CBS sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" for a May ratings sweeps episode. The invitation to return was a foregone conclusion after "How I Met Your Mother" hopped on the Britney Spears Crazy Train in March and wound up with its biggest crowd ever among younger viewers and its season best among viewers of all ages -- nearly 11 million viewers.

The newest episode of Britney scenery-chewing will air May 12 with Spears reprising her role of crazed stalker-receptionist Abby, who will now pretend to date Barney while Neil Patrick Harris, who plays Barney on the comedy series, pretends he's thrilled to have her back after having noted Britbrit's lack of comedy chops on some celebrity suck-up show after her first appearance.

"We're all so thrilled to have Britney joining us once again," one of the series co-creators said in a canned comment.

* * *

CBS, the bravest network on television, has cast show killer Paula Marshall in a comedy pilot for next season.

She will play the recently ex'd wife of Jay Mohr, who has a new girlfriend, played by Jamie King.

Mohr has been a regular on Jennifer "Love to Her Friends" Hewitt's Friday drama on CBS, "Ghost Whisperer," so the network owes him, big time.

Marshall, who's pretty enough and talented enough, is known as a show killer, because series in which she's cast tend to get canceled quickly. That list includes most recently "Out of Practice," as well as "Snoops," "Cursed" and "Cupid."