At least we occasionally get the next-best thing, when Fallon unveils his spot-on impression of Neil Young, one of Canada’s greatest exports. And we got quite the treat on last night’s episode of “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.”

Jimmy’s Neil, who moved us earlier this year with his rendition of “Pants on the Ground,” had a surprise duet partner in Bruce Springsteen, who chipped in on a performance of Willow Smith’s “Whip My Hair.” Take a look:

We thought long and hard (no pun intended, but now that you mention it…) about whether to class it up today and offer up Cobie Smulders’ insightful and informative interview with Vulture, New York Magazine’s awesome blog, or whether to serve up the behind-the-scenes video from her Maxim magazine photo shoot.

We hope you’ll appreciate the choice we made. We’ll get you that Vulture interview tomorrow.

In the interview, Cobie’s Canadian roots are brought up immediately as the interviewer asks her to insult them.

“I don’t know if a Canadian would do that!” she says.

C’mon! If there were a gun to a Canadian’s head…
First of all, if it were a Canadian, it would be a shotgun, because we have very few handguns. Second of all, I think the word “hoser” would be used, but the Canadian would have to drink lots of beer to slip up like that.

Mmm…beer. What’s your favorite Canadian brew?
I love Moosehead. Yes, that’s a beer!

That’s all you get here. See more at Maxim.com.

Photo: Ron P. Jaffe/FOX (via CBS)

The big night came Monday as Robin Sparkles returned to “How I Met Your Mother” for the third time. As we reminded you yesterday, Robin Sparkles is the Canadian teen-idol alter-ego of the show’s Canadian TV morning show host Robin Sherbatsky, who is played by Canadian actress Cobie Smulders.

Robin Sparkles’ big return came in the form of an episode of “Space Teens,” which Barney discovered and parsed out in brief segments throughout Monday night’s “HIMYM” episode.

What we learned was that Robin’s persona actually came out of this kids’ show, in which she co-starred with her best friend Jessica Glitter (played by Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger). In the show, Robin and Jessica were lost in space and used math to solve crimes. It contained significant sexual undertones, including slow-motion shots of Robin and Jessica bouncing up and down and playing with a joystick in tremendously suggestive fashion. It culminated in the singing of a song about friendship, “The Beaver Song,” which repeats the line “Two beavers are better than one.”

Do you agree? Check out the episode here:

The original YouTube posting of it was pulled due to a copyright claim by the CBC, and even the version the show’s own website was using was nixed. But it appears all is well again, even though the original video still doesn’t work. (Looks like we need to find out what’s going on with the CBC).

In case you missed it, though, here is the 8 and a half minute reel that introduces us to the cast of characters that await on “Lake Shore”:

Photo: Ron P. Jaffe/FOX (via CBS)

She’s having a moment, and we’re along for the ride. Tonight, Robin Sparkles, the Canadian teen idol alter-ego of Robin Scherbatsky, Cobie’s character on “How I Met Your Mother” returns.

Got that straight? She’s so Canadian, she’s basically three Canadians at once! Smulders, a Vancouver native, plays Robin Scherbatsky, a Canadian-born TV morning show host in New York, who had a brief moment as a Debbie Gibson-like teen pop star in Canada with hits such as “Let’s Go to the Mall” and “Sandcastles in the Sand.”

Another layer of Robin Sparkles’ past is peeled away in tonight’s episode when Barney finds a tape of an old Canadian TV show, “Space Teens,” which stars Robin and her cohort Glitter, played by guest star Nicole Scherzinger. Here’s a quick clip:

The show’s official website’s FAQ section still says that network negotiations are ongoing, but if YouTube’s copyright claim is to be believed, you might want to be ready to tune into CBC sometime next year to watch the “Lake Shore” drama unfold.

Now, the “first guest of all-time” role is one that is not taken lightly and, yes, even though it’s basic cable Conan has lined up a list of heavy hitters this week, including Tom Hanks and Jon Hamm.

But Monday night’s premiere was when all eyes were watching and Conan looked to the north to find his first guest in Vancouver’s Seth Rogen. The once-plump, lovable star of “Knocked Up,” among other films, had nothing in particular to promote (“Green Lantern” doesn’t come out until January, but it did get a mention), but Conan repeatedly said Rogen was his choice for the coveted first-guest slot.

Check out the full episode below and tell us what you think of the choice.

At the risk of prejudging — which is certain to be one of the lessons we all learn about in this new televisionary pursuit north of the border — Canada’s answer to “Jersey Shore” looks like an absolute train wreck.

While MTV’s “Jersey Shore” focused on a dysfunctional but occasionally lovable bunch of self-described “guidos,” “Lake Shore” aims to ratchet up the tension by deliberately casting a multicultural octet of fist-pumpers and hard-partiers.

What remains to be seen is whether it’s the good kind or the tragic kind.

Oh, one other detail to be worked out is that the show has yet to land a home on television. According to the show’s website, the production company is still in negotiations regarding where it will air. In fact, it hasn’t yet been shot and they’re still scouting locations on Toronto’s Lake Shore Boulevard and in downtown.

The buzz is growing, though, as a “sizzle reel” is gaining some traction on YouTube. Check it out below, and meet the eight cast members: The Turk, The Albanian, The Pole, The Czech, The Vietnamese, The Jew, The Italian and The Lebanese.

I only wish I was making up those labels. Get more updates from the show on the official site.

Photo: CBS

Fox gets a bit personal this time, taking on the role of an attorney who “uses his condition to sway a jury during a test case for a huge class action suit against a pharmaceutical company,” according to CBS’s press release.

“The Good Wife” has been one of those surprises from CBS. It uses all the same tactics as just about any CBS drama: love, deception, drama, intrigue, lessons to parents about the scary things their kids are doing. But Julianna Margulies and crew make it work and we here at Canadian of the Week haven’t missed an episode yet.

You can your bottom looney we’ll be watching this one.

Check out the clip below for a sneak peek and to see Fox and Margulies talking about the unique role: