11 Celebrity Highlights We're Thankful For This Year

In September, we got word that Kate Middleton and Prince William are expecting their second child; the new baby will join big brother Prince George in the palace, and though were not totally sure how George took the news, we're definitely thankful — and excited! — for the next royal birth in April 2015.

We saw tons of celebrity weddings this year, but there were a few that definitely took on lives of their own. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's lavish Italian wedding took the Internet by storm back in May and resulted in one of the most-liked Instagram photos ever. We were treated to another overseas event when George Clooney and British lawyer Amal Alamuddin tied the knot in September, and our jaws collectively dropped when we found out that longtime couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie wed in a secret ceremony at a French chateau in August. Celebrity weddings are always fun to see, but even more so when the stars involved are so high-profile. Source: People, Hello, Instagram user kimkardashian

It was a huge year for Hollywood newcomer Lupita Nyong'o — not only did she take home an Oscar for her role in 12 Years a Slave, but she was also named People's most beautiful person and landed her very first Vogue cover in July. The accolades kept coming throughout the year, as Lupita landed a role in the upcoming Star Wars film and was chosen as Glamour's woman of the year (she also won our POPSUGAR Bikini Bracket!). Needless to say, we're truly thankful that Lupita rose to fame in 2014; she is as gorgeous on the inside as she is on the outside, and her sparkling personality is a breath of fresh air.

Beyoncé took the stage at the MTV VMAs in August, singing a medley of her self-titled visual album before putting an end to those pesky divorce rumors as she was honored with the Video Vanguard Award by her husband, Jay Z. In addition to being blessed with an incredible performance by Beyoncé, we also got to see her 2-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, in her first-ever public appearance. Blue pretty much stole the show; as the cameras panned to her sitting on her dad's lap in the audience, we saw her clapping and dancing along in her seat — and was there anything sweeter than that "Yay, Mommy!" she yelled into the mic on stage?

Between Dallas Buyers Club, True Detective, and Interstellar, Matthew McConaughey successfully shed his romantic-comedy cocoon and emerged as a tuxedo-wearing, knowledge-dropping Oscar winner this year. He gave us tons of quotable award show speeches in that syrupy Southern drawl, spawning lots of celebrity impressions and spoofs. We can only hope to experience many more McConaughey moments in 2015.

Jimmy Fallon officially took over The Tonight Show back in February and has given us so many hilarious sketches to love. Whether he's chronicling the history of rap with Justin Timberlake or the evolution of hip-hop dancing with Will Smith, playing "Water War" with Lindsay Lohan and Jake Gyllenhaal, challenging Emma Stone to a lip sync battle, or inviting celebrities into Sara's basement for an episode of "Ew!," Jimmy's viral videos have kept us in stitches all year long.

Taylor Swift made her official departure from country music when she dropped her album 1989 in October. The beats were inspired by late-'80s pop synth, and in true Taylor form, the lyrics were inspired by past relationships, both romantic and platonic; she sings about her former boyfriend Harry Styles on multiple tracks, and the song "Bad Blood" is rumored to be about a feud with Katy Perry. With hits like "Shake It Off," "Out of the Woods," and "Blank Space," Taylor has been gaining new fans left and right.

Chris Pratt's Hollywood evolution started more than a decade ago, but thanks to his starring role in Guardians of the Galaxy, his popularity reached an all-time high this year. Along with his buzzed-about performance, there were also plenty of charming and hilarious Chris moments as he promoted the film. Not only did Chris show off his rapping skills and surprise people with his french-braiding talents, but he also made a heartwarming hospital visit, dressing up as his superhero character for young patients. And then, of course, there are all the sexy Chris Pratt pictures from this year. We're grateful for those, too.

Shia LaBeouf may have gotten lots of negative attention this year because of the plagiarism scandals and paper-bag mask (plus the performance art exhibit and that whole Cabaret arrest), but since he explained the whole debacle in a hilarious sit-down interview with Jimmy Kimmel in October, the tide started to turn for him in the court of public opinion. We're really glad that Shia came back from the brink, and we're looking forward to seeing even more charismatic moments from him.

Jared Leto made an epic comeback this year — sweeping award season, going on a world tour, grabbing his crotch — but what we're most thankful for when it comes to the Dallas Buyers Club star is his perfectly tousled, impeccably shiny ombré locks. Jared kept things interesting with his mane on the red carpet this year and even experimented with a slicked-back man bun; it goes without saying that we're definitely hoping for more gorgeous Leto hair moments in the next 12 months.

Let's be real: 2014 was the year of the ass. From the red carpet to social media to magazine covers and music videos, celebrities were baring their butts with a passion. Nicki Minaj, Beyoncé, and Jennifer Lopez all released sexy music videos showing off their assets, while Kim Kardashian flaunted her famous backside more than a few times this year. Rihanna, Amber Rose, and internet personality Jen Selter rose to recognition for her stellar "belfies." It's not like butts are anything new — we all have them, right? — but we are thankful for how big they were this year (pun intended).