Almost-EGOTs Elton John, Hildur Guðnadóttir Win Music Oscars
John, 72, has won a Tony Award and five Grammys, and only needs an Emmy to join the elite clubs of EGOTs
By Mesfin Fekadu ••
NBCUniversal, Inc.
Take a look at the biggest moments from the 2020 Academy Awards. This year’s Oscars were held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California.
Twenty-five years after winning his first Oscar, Elton John has picked up his second at the 2020 Academy Awards, where "Joker" composer Hildur Guðnadóttir marked a historic night for female musicians.
John won his second best original song award for "(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again" from his biopic "Rocketman," sharing the honor with longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin. John won an Oscar with Tim Rice for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from the original "The Lion King" at the 1995 Academy Awards.
"Thank you to Bernie, who has been the constant thing in my life when I was screwed up, when I was normal — he’s always been there for me," John said onstage.
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Bong Joon Ho and the cast of “Parasite” reacts as they receive the “Best Picture” Academy Award from presenter Jane Fonda on Feb. 9, 2020, at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. “Parasite” made Oscars history on Sunday when it became the first foreign language film to win the Oscars’ biggest category.
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South Korean film director Bong Joon-ho poses with his engraved awards as he attends the 92nd Oscars Governors Ball at the Hollywood Highland Center in Hollywood, Feb. 9, 2020. “Parasite,” Bong’s latest work, made Oscar history when it became the first foreign language film to win the “Best Picture” award on Sunday.
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Scarlett Johansson, left, congratulates Laura Dern for winning best supporting actress for “Marriage Story” at the Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
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Tom Hanks, right, turned heads when he dropped on the red carpet at the Academy Awards and did a few push-ups alongside an army sergeant on Feb. 9, 2020, at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.
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Janelle Monae performs onstage during the 92nd Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on Feb. 9, 2020.
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Cynthia Erivo performs onstage during the 92nd Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on Feb. 9, 2020 in Hollywood, California.
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Janelle Monae, left, and Billy Porter perform onstage at the Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
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Steve Martin and Chris Rock (R) speak onstage during the 92nd Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on Feb. 9, 2020.
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Regina King, left, presents Brad Pitt with the award for best performance by an actor in a supporting role for “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” at the Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
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Idina Menzel and Elsa voice actresses perform onstage during the 92nd Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on Feb. 9, 2020.
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(L-R) Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig speak onstage during the 92nd Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on Feb. 9, 2020 in Hollywood, California.
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Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell speak onstage during the 92nd Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on Feb. 9, 2020 in Hollywood, California.
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James Corden, left, and Rebel Wilson present the award for best visual effects at the Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
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Elton John performs onstage during the 92nd Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on Feb. 9, 2020 in Hollywood, California.
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Billie Eilish performs onstage during the 92nd Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on Feb. 9, 2020.
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Joaquin Phoenix accepts the Actor In A Leading Role award for ‘Joker’ onstage during the 92nd Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on Feb. 9, 2020 in Hollywood, California.
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Renée Zellweger accepts the Actress in a Leading Role award for ‘Judy’ onstage during the 92nd Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on Feb. 9, 2020 in Hollywood, California.
"This is just justification for 53 years of just hammering out and doing what we do," Taupin said.
John and Taupin beat out Diane Warren, Randy Newman, Cynthia Erivo and the husband-wife duo Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez to win the prize.
John, 72, has won a Tony Award and five Grammys, and only needs an Emmy to join the elite clubs of EGOTs.
Take a look back at the night ‘Parasite’ had at the 2020 Academy Awards.
Guðnadóttir, 37, is in a similar position: In just six short months, the classically trained cellist from Iceland has become an Emmy, Grammy and Oscar winner.
She picked up best original score Sunday for "Joker" and she joins a small group of women to win the prize for scoring music, including Marilyn Bergman, Rachel Portman and Anne Dudley, who was the last woman to win the honor for "The Full Monty" at the 1998 show.
She received a standing ovation for close to a minute from the audience.
“To the girls, to the women, to the mothers, to the daughters who hear the music bubbling within, please speak up,” she said. “We need to hear your voices.”
Guðnadóttir won an Emmy and Grammy for her work on the hit HBO miniseries "Chernobyl." Before Guðnadóttir’s big win, Eimear Noone performed as the first female conductor in the 92-history of the Academy Awards.
Billie Eilish, who won five Grammys two weeks ago, also hit the stage Sunday to perform during the In Memoriam segment with her producer-brother Finneas. All of the original songs nominated were also performed.
Take a look at four of the outfits that people were talking about during Sunday’s Academy Awards.
Eminem, who won best original song for "Lose Yourself" from "8 Mile" in 2003 but skipped the show, surprised the audience with a performance of the rap smash. Singer-actress Janelle Monae was also a highlight, kicking off the show with "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" and weaving new, relevant lyrics into her own song "Come Alive," with some help from the multi-faceted Billy Porter.
"I’m so proud to be standing here as a black queer artist telling stories," Monae said. "Happy Black History Month."
