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Oscar Nominee Lin Manuel-Miranda Aims For EGOT

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

The Academy Awards are this Sunday. And the playwright and composer Lin-Manuel Miranda is up for best original song for this. It's called "How Far I'll Go" from the film "Moana."

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "MOANA")

AULI'I CRAVALHO: (As Moana, singing) See the line where the sky meets the sea. It calls me. And no one knows how far it goes.

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

I love your interpretive dance.

CORNISH: If he wins, Miranda will become just the 13th person to graduate to EGOT status.

SHAPIRO: EGOT - that's Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony, referring to people who have won all four.

CORNISH: Now, here's a little challenge. We're going to play some of the work of the 12 past EGOTs.

SHAPIRO: Some of them are producers or orchestrators, not necessarily people you see on screen. So you may not get all of these, but see how many you can figure out.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SOME ENCHANTED EVENING")

EZIO PINZA: (Singing) Some enchanted evening, you may see a stranger.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE SIN OF MADELON CLAUDET")

HELEN HAYES: (As Madelon Claudet) I wish I was dead. All I wanted was to die.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: (As character) You're going to be so happy. And you've got the sweetest little baby.

HAYES: (As Madelon Claudet) I don't want it. I don't want it.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THE WAY WE WERE")

BARBRA STREISAND: (Vocalizing).

(SOUNDBITE OF PLAY, "THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ERNEST")

JOHN GIELGUD: (As Jack Worthing) In order to get up to town, I have always pretended to have a younger brother of the name of Ernest, who lives in the Albany and gets into the most dreadful scrapes. That, my dear Algy, is the whole truth, pure and simple.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "WEST SIDE STORY")

RITA MORENO: (As Anita, singing) Life can be bright in America.

GEORGE CHAKIRIS: (As Bernardo, singing) If you can fight in America.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "ROMAN HOLIDAY")

AUDREY HEPBURN: (As Princess Ann) This is very unusual. I've never been alone with a man before, even with my dress on. With my dress off, it's most unusual.

(SOUNDBITE OF PLAY, "A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC")

GLYNIS JOHNS: (As Desiree Armfeldt, singing) Where are the clowns? Send in the clowns.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE PRODUCERS")

UNIDENTIFIED CHOIR: (Singing) And now it's...

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character, singing) Springtime for Hitler and Germany.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE GRADUATE")

DUSTIN HOFFMAN: (As Ben Braddock) Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me.

ANNE BANCROFT: (As Mrs. Robinson, laughter).

HOFFMAN: (As Ben Braddock) Aren't you?

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "GHOST")

PATRICK SWAYZE: (As Sam Wheat) Molly, you're in danger.

WHOOPI GOLDBERG: (As Oda Mae Brown) Now, you can't just blurt it out like that. And quit moving around, will you, because you're starting to make me dizzy. I'll just tell her in my own way. Molly, you in danger, girl.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN")

JAVIER BARDEM: (As Anton Chigurh) What's the most you ever lost on a coin toss? Call it, friendo.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "FROZEN")

IDINA MENZEL: (As Elsa) The snow glows white on the mountain tonight, not a footprint to be seen.

CORNISH: That's just some of the work that earned 12 different artists the EGOT. How'd you do?

SHAPIRO: Let's check. The last one you heard was Robert Lopez, who wrote "Let It Go" for the film "Frozen."

CORNISH: Producer Scott Rudin, we heard a little bit of dialogue from "No Country For Old Men."

SHAPIRO: The actress Whoopi Goldberg, a famous line from her role in "Ghost."

CORNISH: Director Mike Nichols. That was the bit from "The Graduate."

SHAPIRO: Writer, actor and producer Mel Brooks. We heard "Springtime For Hitler" from "The Producers."

CORNISH: Orchestrator Jonathan Tunick with his interpretation of "Send In The Clowns" from "A Little Night Music."

SHAPIRO: A legendary Audrey Hepburn with a line from "Roman Holiday."

CORNISH: Actor-singer Rita Moreno from her star-making turn in "West Side Story."

SHAPIRO: The actor Sir John Gielgud with a moment from "The Importance Of Being Earnest."

CORNISH: And composer Marvin Hamlisch. We heard "The Way We Were."

SHAPIRO: Also, the first lady of American theater, Helen Hayes from her film "The Sin Of Madelon Claudet."

CORNISH: And we started with composer Richard Rogers. "South Pacific" won the Tony for best musical in 1950. We heard "Some Enchanted Evening."

SHAPIRO: And to end where we began, as we mentioned, if Lin-Manuel Miranda wins an Oscar on Sunday, he will become the youngest person ever to EGOT.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "FROZEN")

MENZEL: (As Elsa, singing) Let it go. Let it go. I am one with the wind and sky. Let it go. Let it go. You'll never see me cry.

CORNISH: Tomorrow on WEEKEND EDITION, hear about one enduring feature of the Hollywood look - fake eyelashes.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "DINNER AT EIGHT")

JEAN HARLOW: (As Kitty Packard) I've told you a million times not to talk to me while I'm doing my lashes.

CORNISH: From the glued-on fringe kind like Jean Harlow's in the 1933 film "Dinner At Eight" to the sophisticated lash-by-lash techniques of today.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN #1: So I'm just going to have you try to relax your eyes. So just keep it closed throughout the whole entire process.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN #2: OK.

CORNISH: That's for journalism, folks. Fake Eyelashes then and now tomorrow on WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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