To continue my discussion of the blurring of sexual orientation in primetime television shows, I decided to flip the perspective of what I discussed in yesterday's post. Regarding actors who play characters with sexual orientations different than their own, I think that Neil Patrick Harris' character, Barney Stinson on "How I Met Your Mother," provides an excellent example of how both hetero and homosexual men and women can identify with a specific character. Despite being openly gay in his personal life, Neil Patrick Harris plays Barney, a womanizing, egotistical, and often arrogant man who represents what most young adult males would identify as the stereotypical "bro." With many of Barney's tag-lines such as "Legen- wait for it- dary," and his expressions of "awesomeness" popularized in pop culture references, Neil Patrick Harris has crossed the traditional lines separating sexual orientation to create a character that although played by an openly gay actor, can be identified as an ideal male by both genders and all orientations.