cameo vs. guest role/appearance 14:23 Dec 1, 2008
Taking up anja's argument: It might be helpful in English too to distinguish between cameo (where the celebrity appears as himself) vs. (prominent actor in tiny) guest role. But they're commonly used as synonyms (even by dictionaries). And I'm not convinced that this blurring is a recent phenomenon (as Kreimeier would have us believe). I think it may simply be that when a shorter word is required, especially one with a certain aura, "cameo" is preferred for any kind of surprise/insider-joke/star-appeal appearance by a celebrity (whether an actor or not, whether playing a role or not). |