From legendary cameos like Bob Barker in Happy Gilmore, to the inexplicable ones like Method Man in Garden State, or your father showing up at your 21st birthday party, there’s nothing like a surprise guest appearance. Sometimes stars use them to make the public forget something totally insane they just did (cue the Tom Cruise couch dance) and sometimes the studios use them to remind you of someone in the works for a comeback. Half the time when Tarantino thinks he’s giving someone a cameo, no one’s a big enough film nerd to notice the actor he’s snuck in first three times they see the movie. These are the most epic cameos of 2014, in all their splendor and glorious variety.
Stephen Colbert at Apple’s Global Conference
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After massive leaks came out about the iPhone 6 far ahead of its release, the notoriously secretive technology impresarios at Apple went dark. Like any well-run empire, they’re smart enough to know when to make fun of themselves, and who better to poke fun at a giant company than Stephen Colbert? Dawning his comedic persona for a two-minute phone call at the tech giant’s global conference, he runs Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi through the ringer, reminding everyone that when it comes to paid cameos, be careful what you wish for.
President Obama on "Between Two Ferns"
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Somehow the ever-illustrious Zach Galifianakis managed to lock President Obama in as a guest on his web series Between Two Ferns. This merits a nod simply because it falls into a short list of unimaginable things that would never have happened before 2014. Although within 30 seconds it becomes apparent that the entire script has been vetted (because, of course), any Presidential interview that starts with a mumbled excuse about “diabetes shoes” is solid gold. We’ll take six and a half minutes of less-than-professional comedy over another canned beer photo op implying presidents are just normal Americans any day. None of the massive celebrities on this web series are normal, but at least this kind of shill makes fun of it, instead of trying to sell the opposite. Bonus points for the phrase; “I heard you would be sending Hulk Hogan to Syria…is that more of a job for Tanya Harding?”
Drake Shooting Air Balls at Kentucky's Midnight Madness
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The last few years have been big ones for Drake. His career climbed to its greatest heights in 2014, he keeps making good music, and his tour with Lil Wayne was a blowout success. His sports fandom, on the other hand, has seen a few shaky moments. From his endearing, but way too enthusiastic cosign of the underperforming involvement in the Toronto Raptors organization, to his weird love for Johnny Manziel, it tends to be a bit extra (OK he was great at the ESPY’s). All of this culminated a few weeks ago, when Aubrey Graham suited up in Kentucky Wildcats warm up sweats to take the layup line for some unfortunate three point attempts. When he first posted the photo of him in the Kentucky tape room in full gear, we honestly didn’t know what to think. Buckets or not, this was certainly one of the most surprising celebrity appearances of the year.
Erykah Badu Singing for Change in Times Square
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Never one to shy away from proving a point, Erykah Badu took to the streets of New York City to put her busking skills to the test. Over a few hours she only earned $3.60. I would argue that an artist of her caliber doing this seemingly just to do it makes this one of the best cameos of all time. A celebrated performer out of context, doing what she does best in front of tourists who have no clue. It’s kind of the best, really.
Kendrick Lamar Performs With Prince at Paisley Park
50 Cent Throwing the First Pitch at a Mets Game
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Finally, video evidence that not being able to throw a baseball doesn’t make you less of a man. It does make you look completely ridiculous when you miss the plate by a healthy 10 feet, though. To be fair, he is a Queens native throwing out a pitch for the Mets, and this kind of athleticism is on brand with the organization itself. If Drake’s airball was a solid 6 on the embarrassment scale, this has got to be a 9. No one’s saying Curtis Jackson isn’t tough, but what we can all take away from this is that being in shape doesn’t necessarily mean you’re coordinated. At all. Just listen to the announcers in the clip.
Jay Z Giving J. Cole His Roc-A-Fella Chain at Madison Square Garden
Bill Murray Presenting the Annual London NFL Game
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With such a long storied record of doing whatever he wants, it wasn’t too surprising to see Bill Murray schilling the Falcons Lions game for an international audience. It was a nice touch that he was wearing a bear hat (Not the NFL franchise, a literal bear hat). It was big of him to justify why English people might not want to watch the game, and even bigger of him to talk about a more meaningful match up taking place that weekend (Eagles versus Cardinals). I personally had no idea the Cardinal was the state bird of Illinois, but now I know. Thanks, Bill!
Christoph Waltz in "Muppets Most Wanted"
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Call us sentimental, but there’s nothing better than a Muppets movie cameo. Traditionally aimed at the parents in the theater, this cameo really took me by surprise, considering Waltz’ two best known roles are in Tarantino flicks Inglorious Basterds and Django Unchained. What a family friendly actor! While the appearance might have flown over some heads, they added to the delight by have him dance a Waltz (get it?!). And while it’s hard not to get nervous when you see the man on screen if you’re familiar with his work, this was a sweet appearance. Call this the sleeper of the list, but it’s one of the best.
George Clooney at New York Comic Con
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Sure, in a world where superhero movies dominate the box office, the stigma around comic books, and things like Comic Con have fallen by the wayside, but can you think of any pairing more goofy? We have a hard time picturing Clooney outside of a tux, let alone walking down a long convention hall corridor next to kids in full face paint, though we like combining the two images a great deal. He was there to shill for his new movie Tomorrowland so it wasn’t all fun, but still. No one saw that coming. He even had the good taste to apologize for his dicey Batman movie. In the clip above, Clooney appears about a minute in.
