Britney Spears uses a whip during her performance at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pa., Aug. 30, 2009. (Young Kim | MBR | MCT)

“I’m rubber and you’re glue…” No, not that kind of comeback (though that is a classic). Every year, singers, actors, movie franchises and companies make big comebacks that shake up the entertainment world. This year saw the return of diva Whitney Houston, the “Star Trek” franchise and “Melrose Place.” While not every comeback is successful or well advised, some returns to the spotlight are big and successful enough to change the industry. This decade has been full of awesome comebacks, but there are only five that can be considered “best,” so let’s jump right in.

5) Mickey Rourke: In the mid- to late ’80s, Mickey Rourke grew to sex symbol fame with popular and critical successes “9 ½ Weeks” (with Kim Basinger), “Year of the Dragon” and “Angel Heart” (with Lisa Bonet). Unfortunately, stories of him being difficult on set started to leak out, leaving directors wary of working with him. In the early ’90s, Rourke decided to change career paths to boxing and mutilated his face in the process (it was so bad that he needed facial reconstruction). Once he retired from boxing in 1995, Rourke tried to return to acting but had little success until 2005’s “Sin City.” Rourke’s big comeback came in 2008 with his award-winning role in “The Wrestler,” a film about a down-and-out wrestler who struggles with his newfound insignificance (a story eerily similar to his own). In this role, Rourke won huge critical acclaim and a Golden Globe for Best Actor. He now has two impending successes on his plate (“Iron Man 2” and “Sin City 2”) that will no doubt cement his place back in mainstream Hollywood.

4) Paula Abdul: Paula Abdul made a name for herself as a choreographer and successful singer in the ’80s and early ’90s. She released two multiplatinum albums (“Forever Your Girl” and “Spellbound”) and multiple hit singles, including “Straight Up,” “Opposites Attract” and “Rush Rush.” After a battle with bulimia, Abdul released “Head Over Heels” to only moderate success, after which she took a break from music. Then, in 2002, Paula returned to the spotlight as one of the three judges on the outrageously successful Fox reality show “American Idol.” More than ever before, Paula was a household name who was recognized by people of all ages. Since then, Paula has become a bit of a laughingstock, as she has appeared intoxicated on the reality show and has since left the show. Despite this change in public perception, Abdul’s return to the spotlight is nonetheless noteworthy.

3) Neil Patrick Harris: In the late ’80s and early ’90s, Neil Patrick Harris starred as a teenage doctor in the dramedy “Doogie Howser, M.D.” The starring role catapulted the child actor to fame and acclaim, but after the show ended in 1993, Harris all but disappeared. Though he certainly starred in movies and TV shows, he could never again match his previous success. That is, until he starred in the stoner comedy “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle” in 2004. The next year, Neil returned to TV prime time with the sitcom “How I Met Your Mother,” which has since garnered him three Emmy Award nominations. Along with his success in the sitcom, Harris has starred in the brilliant Web series “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” and entertainingly hosted the Tony Awards. Neil has once again become a household name.

2) Britney Spears: Everyone knows this story, as it is perhaps the most reported example of the celebrity comeback. At the turn of the millennium, Britney Spears was at the top of her game: Her first single (“…Baby One More Time”) had just gone number one in the U.S., and she was about to release her second album (“Oops!… I Did It Again”). Fast-forward to 2004: Britney married her backup dancer Kevin Federline (or K-Fed, as he is commonly known), and everything started to go downhill. In the years that followed, Britney went into rehab, walked into a gas station bathroom barefoot and attacked a paparazzo’s car with an umbrella (all of which was religiously covered by the tabloids). Then in the fall of 2007, Brit released her first album since 2003, “Blackout.” Although the album was a moderate success (it did produce a top-10 single with “Gimme More”), there were still doubts about her mental state. Throughout the next year, Spears continued to clean up her act and released her sixth studio album, “Circus,” in the fall of 2008 to greater success: It debuted at number one and produced Spears’s second number-one single, “Womanizer.” Since then, Britney has embarked on an extremely successful world tour, released another number-one single—the recent “3”—and appeared completely sane in the tabloids. Britney’s back!

1) Apple: You might not remember a time when Apple Inc. wasn’t the hottest computer and electronics company. In the early ’90s, Apple achieved moderate success with its PowerBook, as it crept up on Microsoft’s market share in the computer industry. Throughout the mid ’90s, though, Apple seemed to be unable to find its new hit product. In 1998, it released its first iMac and finally returned to profitability (which it hadn’t done since 1993). While this was certainly a success, Apple’s real comeback came in 2001 with the release of its now ubiquitous iPod. As I’m sure all of you know (considering the vast majority of you have iPods), the iPod ended up being a roaring success, breathing life back into the computing company, which has since revolutionized the way we buy music and the way we use our “phones.”

(Ron P. Jaffe | CBS)

It’s a strategy that’s worked for years. Throw the same funny people into different situations every week and hilarity ensues. Luckily, “How I Met Your Mother” knows how to follow a formula. If you’re not family with HIMYM, the show is about its central character, Ted (Josh Radner), and how he – you guess it – met the mother of his children.

Spending four years trying to reveal the identity of one woman could be about as interesting as watching water boil. But that is why HIMYM is an ensemble comedy. Ted is the heartfelt architect searching for his one true love. Marshall (Jason Segel) and Lily (Allison Hannigan) have been together since college, but have a relationship as stale as freshly baked bread. Barney (Niel Patrick Harris) is the suit-wearing cad with a secret heart of gold. And Robin (Cobie Smulders), the Canadian ex-pop star who can’t find her path, rounds out the group.

In last May’s season finale, we learned that Ted was going to become an architecture professor at Columbia. And more importantly, we saw Robin and Barney, who had spent more than a year in will-they-or-won’t-they relationship limbo, make out passionately. All summer, viewers were left to wonder if they would get together.

Monday’s season five premiere, “Definitions,” was pretty simple. Ted nervously begins his teaching career as an architecture professor at Columbia. He awkwardly tries out a few teaching styles to see what kind of professor he should be. Unfortunately for Ted, nothing works. Not because he’s a bad teacher, but because he walked into the wrong lecture hall. Once Ted realizes this, he runs to the right architecture classroom. When he arrives, he has lost his jitters and becomes an awesome professor.

Meanwhile, Robin and Barney had spent the summer hooking up secretly, because they were not quite ready to define their relationship. Lily was devastated when she learned they weren’t dating, so when she found out that RoBarney were actually still together, she takes matters into her own hands. Lily locks the clandestine couple in Robin’s room and, in the morning, refuses to let them out until they have “the” relationship talk. Barney and Robin eventually decide to lie about being a couple, just so they can escape. As the episode ends, it dawns on Lily, Marshall, and Ted that Robin and Barney are actually falling in love, as much as they try to resist.

While the main plot is pretty funny, the genius of “How I Met Your Mother” lies in the little moments. Marshall gives Ted a fedora and whip to start off his new job, hoping that Ted could channel Marshall’s favorite professor, Dr. Indiana Jones. In one scene, Ted and Barney flashback to a conversation they had in their favorite bar years ago on tuxedo night where they discuss how the rules that apply to gremlins (i.e. never feed them after midnight), also apply to women. The utter randomness of this show makes it a joy to watch. There are a few utterly awkward scenes per episode that also spice up the show. In my favorite moment from “Definitions,” Ted wakes up from a nightmare to find Barney standing beside his bed. Ted starts to explain his dream, not even questioning why Barney is in his room, only to find his friend looking for condoms.

This was an extremely promising season premiere. It will be interesting to see if the Robin-Barney relationship can last without the show losing any quality. I’m more interested in how this new relationship will change the dynamic within the group of friends. Although the characters in “How I Met Your Mother” have their own lives, this show will always be about how Ted, Barney, Robin, Marshall, and Lily interact. After four years, the writers know and love the characters they have created, which makes for an amazing series. With any luck, “Definitions” will be the start of season five’s winning streak, and this season is going to be legen…wait for it…dary!

“How I Met Your Mother” is on CBS, Monday’s at 7 p.m.