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« Josh's HIMYM Blog
Going to the Dogs
What's up, blogosphere? I've never blogged before. This is my first blog. I don't know if I'm going to do this right. I'm totally behind the times: No MySpace page, just got cable two months ago, and I cannot — cannot — get my damn Bluetooth to work. And I've never blogged. I feel like an 80-year-old going online for the first time. Scary. So here goes. I'm about to blog. Look at me... blogging.
OK, what's going on in HowIMetYourMotherLand?
Ben Lee dropped by our set a few weeks ago. He had called [series creator] Carter Bays to tell him that he was a huge fan, so Carter invited him to come to the set and watch us tape. (Unlike most multicamera half hours, we don't tape in front of a live audience. It takes us three full days to block and shoot the show, which is entirely too long to make an audience sit, no matter how much candy you chuck at them.) Anyway, Mr. Ben Lee had a beer with us out by our trailers after we'd wrapped. He said he'd first seen HIMYM on an airplane (American, one imagines), the episode from Season 1 where Ted meets Victoria at the wedding. I was curious what it was about the show that landed on him and I thought his insights were really sharp. He said he found it to be quite subversive — here was a show that wasn't cynical, was really about something, and wore its heart on its sleeve in an honest way without being cloying. For him, what was subversive was that it was meant for a broad audience and seemed to have really connected with people and that as a writer of pop songs, he finds this a fascinating challenge: how to be both good and popular.
I think How I Met Your Mother is a really good show. (Greg Malins, one of our executive producers, actually has a T-shirt that says just that: "How I Met Your Mother Is a Really Good Show.") It's the kind of show, I imagine, that I would really enjoy even if I weren't on it. (I'd also probably be a lot less critical of the guy who plays Ted.) Speaking of good shows, I'd like to take advantage of this tiny soapbox I currently find myself standing upon and say this: "Friday Night Lights is genius!" Seriously, why aren't all 300 million Americans watching this show? I realize there's a chorus of TV critics shouting the same thing, but it's maddening. I love Friday Night Lights. Friday Night Lights is great. Watch Friday Night Lights.
What else? Oh, there's this: After a brief period in which I had let many a Southern Californian convince me that it was all "in my mind," I am once again officially allergic to dogs. Being allergic to dogs cast a huge shadow over my otherwise pleasant childhood. I have no hard data on this, but I can pretty much guarantee I've blown my nose way, way more than you, gentle reader. I haven't left the house without a packet of Kleenex in my back pocket for as long as I can remember. Whenever I start thinking I'm incredibly cool, the packet of Kleenex in my back pocket brings me right back down to earth. I'm so allergic to animals (not just dogs, but cats, horses... ) that when we did "animal exercises" in drama school, I would start sneezing. That's right — no actual animals in the room, just actors imitating them (badly) was enough to get me going.
Regular watchers of the show know that Robin has, or rather had, five dogs. This was a big plot point in the pilot. I didn't tell Carter and Craig (cocreators, show-runners, gentlemen) that I was allergic to dogs until after I'd been cast. They said we'd work around it and if forced to choose between me and the dogs, I would win. Very sweet. So with some Claritin and some thorough vacuuming, we got through almost two seasons without a problem. Then Kourtney Kang went and wrote "Stuff," where Ted learns that Robin's five dogs were all given to her by ex-boyfriends. Upon learning this, all Ted can see when he looks at the dogs are five dudes who used to date his girlfriend. I referred to the guys who played the ex-boyfriends as "bark-ground." And even though they seemed perfectly nice, I hated them all with a white-hot intensity. The reason for this is twofold: A) they were playing dogs and dogs make me sneeze, and B) they were playing my fake girlfriend's fake ex-boyfriends, and I think I'm maybe a little more Method than I had realized.
Anyway, one scene required me to rub my hands all over a dalmatian's face, a face that was mere inches from my own. I'll spare you the details, but if I weren't going to spare you the details, here's what the details would be: My left eye swelled up, my breathing got tight, I couldn't stop sneezing, and my arms broke out in hives. (Pretty sexy, huh, ladies?) All I really needed was some Visine and cortisone and to not be rubbing a dalmatian's face, but there must have been some sort of on-set communication breakdown 'cause the paramedics showed up. Or they were called. That's what I heard anyway. I'm not really sure what happened, I couldn't breathe or see.
As if that weren't bad enough, right before the allergies really started kicking in, I had to get licked in the face repeatedly by a dude named Rick. Rick was part of the "bark-ground" and in the episode, as I'm rubbing the dog's face, the dalmatian morphs into Rick. Come to think of it, maybe getting licked in the face repeatedly by Rick was what swelled up my left eye and constricted my lungs. I'll say this, and this has nothing to do with gender or sexuality: You do not want to get licked in the face repeatedly by another human being. You just don't. It's not pleasant. Sorry, Rick. You were a trouper.
In an otherwise unbelievably amazing job, that was one tough day.
CBS' How I Met Your Mother airs Mondays at 8 pm/ET.
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Mar 19, 2007 10:44 AM
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Josh, love your first blog entry...officially hilarious! And I really enjoy the show...all of you have a great chemistry together! Between all the Barneyisms, the Slapbet, Robin Sparkles...the moments of genius just keep coming!
I think it is really cool that even though you are blogging about your own show, you gave a big shoutout to one of my other favorite shows, Friday Night Lights!! I love it too, and it deserves a bigger audience than it is getting!
Thanks for "suiting up" for this behind-the-scenes look at your show and keep up the great work!
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Mar 19, 2007 11:53 AM
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Hello Josh.
Welcome to the Blogosphere!
Sorry to hear about the allergies.
I do love your show. It's great!
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Mar 19, 2007 12:02 PM
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Hi Josh,
Great blog. Terrific show. I love How I Met Your Mother.
And thanks for spreading the love for Friday Night Lights. I couldn't agree with you more... why isn't everybody watching this show????
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Mar 19, 2007 12:43 PM
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Hey Josh!!
I loved HIMYM already, but becuase you gave a shoutout to FNL, I love it even more!
Keep up the awesome work!
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Mar 19, 2007 1:15 PM
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Hey Josh! Thanks for joining us.
I've watched HIMYM since day 1 and love it. I've also converted many others. Ben Lee said it so right. This show wears it's heart on it's sleeve and we love that. Oh, and the fact that it's roll on the floor funny doesn't hurt either.
Pity about the allergy to dogs. My daughter loves dogs and is allergic to them (puffy eyes, nose and lips, etc., not a pretty sight) so I feel for you.
P.S. Keep spreading the FNL love around!
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Mar 19, 2007 1:44 PM
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So glad you are here blogging. I never read the celebrity blogs, but HIMYM is the best comedy on tv. I'll be checking yours out! Love you, love your show, love all your fellow actors!
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Mar 19, 2007 1:48 PM
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Josh, hello and thanks for the blog. By the way, by my technologically disadvantaged standards, I think your first was most excellent!!
You don't know how much I enjoy your show. I like your group of friends even more than that other group of friends. You probably are familiar with the friends I am referring to. They had a show on a different network for a little while. Oh, what was the name of that show...? Anyway, I hope that you and your friends enjoy that kind of success.
You are so right about Friday Night Lights. It is one of the big mysteries of television that more people are not raving about it much less not watching it! It is so good of you to acclaim the show especially as it is on a whole 'nother network.
Well, thanks again. Could I just add one more thing. The editing is really terrific or you must be a superb actor because I never saw so much as a sniffle.
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Mar 19, 2007 1:56 PM
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Hi Josh!
You did a great job for your first post. I look forward to watching the show each week and now I look forward to reading your blog. Keep up the good work! You guys have so much fun each week on the show.
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Mar 19, 2007 6:38 PM
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Well, welcome to the blogosphere, Josh  You couldn't tell you've never done this before!
I'm *so* with you on the dog allergy - I'm not allergic, but I'm extremely phobic of the things (thanks to various dog-related childhood traumas) and my throat closes up whenever I'm around one. So, yeah - *empathy*
And I LOVE that you're an FNL fan. It's just started over here, in the UK, and I'm trying to convince everyone I know to watch it - unfortunately, the whole "American football" angle seems to be turning people off over here... 
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Mar 19, 2007 7:39 PM
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Thanks for the blog Josh!! I have loved your show since the first episode. I've watched those dvds a couple of times already since I got them. (I'm not crazy or anything, I just get bored easy and they make me laugh)
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Mar 19, 2007 8:32 PM
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Josh, great job! I totally feel your pain on the dog issue - when I was about 6, I had the same experience with a dalmatian...swollen eyes, closing throat, hives all over my FACE where he licked me! I am SURE you are thrilled that the dogs are gone now!
Love the show. Last night was hilarious. Keep up the wonderful work you're doing!
"Have you met Ted???"
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Mar 20, 2007 9:58 AM
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Ha ha... I can't get my Bluetooth to work either!
Anyway, nice blog. I started watching the show mostly because Aly was on it, and I was a huge Buffy dork (ok, actually, I'm STILL a huge Buffy dork). And I was also a Freaks and Geeks dork, so I was excited to see Jason on another show. But I ended up just falling in love with everyone on the show. I personally think it's 1000 times better than that other show about friends that someone else mentioned. My boyfriend doesn't watch much tv, but even he tunes in watch every week. So keep it up... you guys rock! I look forward to reading more of your blogs as well.
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Mar 20, 2007 11:10 AM
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I've gotta say everytime I hear someone complaining that the 'sitcom is dead' I ask if they've ever watched How I Met Your Mother. You guys do an awesome job making a show thats funny and sweet at the same time. Thanks for giving us all some hilarious tv to watch, and don't worry we fellow allergy sufferers understand your pain... let's just say I look like Rudolph most of the year as a result of sneezing at everything I come in contact with! Stay strong! 
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Mar 20, 2007 12:50 PM
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My family and I love the show. It's one of the few shows on the air that we will all take time to watch together.
I read on cbssportsline that you choose Ohio State in your bracket. Awesome. I don't know if you are a fan or you just picked them, but I hope you beat NPH - UCLA - really? Go Bucks!
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Mar 20, 2007 1:20 PM
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