2012: Odd spots

Was 2012 the year of the misjudged movie cameo?

Ryan Reynolds in Ted

As any lazy writer (hello) will tell you, if a joke's worth making, it's worth making twice. Seth MacFarlane already had Ryan Reynolds play gay in Family Guy, and he cameos as a sexy, silent, "Van Wilder lookalike" in Ted. Ha ha! Again.

Aziz Ansari in Shut Up And Play The Hits

The comedian didn't even mean to be in the LCD Soundsystem farewell film; he was talked into crowdsurfing by a mate at the gig. Aziz says it was "fun". Because it's not a good night out until you've been groped, lost your phone and wallet and kicked at least three people in the head.

Cheryl Cole in What To Expect When You're Expecting

"If I had six stars, I've give you six, but I've only got five so I'll give you five," Cheryl Cole says, in her most challenging role to date as a judge on a TV talent show. In her first scene, she's so excited to be sitting next to one of the Black Eyed Peas, she forgets to look at the camera and we can't even see her face for 90% of it. We can't wait to see what she wears to pick up her Oscar!

Johnny Depp in Jack and Jill

Clearly Johnny Depp didn't feel that the back-to-back bore-off of Pirates Of The Caribbean 4 and The Tourist was punishment enough for audiences; he's also in Adam Sandler's cross-dressing "comedy", wearing a Justin Bieber T-shirt. What did we do, Johnny? Why do you hate us so much? Just tell us. We're sorry. We're so sorry.

David Hasslehoff in Piranha 3DD

The long-awaited sequel stars some killer fish, in an "adult themed" water park, biting off loads of tits. But that's not even the worst part: David Hasselhoff pops up as a celebrity lifeguard. Which is so clever, right? Because he played a lifeguard in Baywatch! Get it? Seriously, ask if it's not clear. We can explain. To confuse things further, David Hasselhoff explained he wasn't playing himself, but his character "The Hoff". He's either a method actor with serious dedication to his craft, or he's on the brink of a profound breakdown. Fingers crossed he's the world's best actor.

Ed Norton in The Dictator

Acting's most acting-ey actor shows he can still do comedy by cameo-ing in The Dictator as, er, Ed Norton, who's turned to prostitution to pay his Chateau Marmont bar bills. When you've dated Courtney Love, we suspect getting pissed on by rich dictators in hotel bathrooms feels like a relaxing spa day.

Contributor

Issy Sampson

The GuardianTramp

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