With her Tony win in the Best Original Score category tonight for her work on the Broadway smash “Kinky Boots,” musician Cyndi Lauper has inched a step closer to some elite industry awards company.
The term “EGOT,” coined by actor Philip Michael Thomas, was launched into notoriety by the television series “30 Rock” and has become a bit of a running joke in the business, particularly on the various entertainment awards circuits.
So far, 11 individuals have “won” the figurative EGOT — an acronym for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. The last was producer Scott Rudin, who reached the peak last year after winning the Grammy for the cast album for Broadway sensation “The Book of Mormon.”
Tonight, Lauper found herself on deck for the honor should an Academy Award ever come calling.
Lauper’s Grammy came in 1985 when the artist burst onto the scene with the album “She’s So Unusual,” which featured the Grammy-nominated singles “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” and “Time After Time.” Her Emmy Award came 10 years later for her work on the television series “Mad About You.” And now, a Tony for “Kinky Boots.”
So pay attention, Hollywood.
Others on the verge of an EGOT include actress Julie Andrews (who needs a Tony), musician and actress Cher (Tony), actor Jeremy Irons (Grammy), singer/songwriter Elton John (Emmy), Cynthia Nixon (Oscar), actor Al Pacino (Grammy), “South Park” and “Book of Mormon” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone (Oscar) and actress Kate Winslet (Tony). Who’s going to be next?
Check out the on-going list of Tony winners as they’re announced here.