Fil-Am wins for Best Song

HOLLYWOOD – Songwriter Robert Lopez gave the Philippines some Oscars joy on Sunday as he completed a rare quadruple triumph at the 86th Academy Awards.

The 39-year-old American scooped the Oscar for best original song for “Let It Go” from the Disney hit animated film “Frozen.”

The win, which Lopez shared with his wife Kristin Anderson-Lopez, saw the songwriter join an elite band who have won the grand slam of entertainment industry awards – Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony – or “EGOT.”

Lopez, who is of Filipino descent, paid tribute to his ancestral homeland during a backstage press conference after the win.

“Filipino pride. I’m so excited. I’m just sending love to the Philippines,” said Lopez.

“I know they’ve had a tough year and I just send out my feelings to them,” he said, referring to the devastating Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) which battered the country last November, leaving thousands dead.

Lopez and his wife revealed they are planning a benefit concert for the Philippines on March 12 in New York.

Meanwhile, Anderson-Lopez presented her husband with a home-made necklace to commemorate his “EGOT” status.

“The girls and I made something for you, Bobby. Just in case this moment happened. We made it last week,” she said, hanging it around his neck. “It’s made of pasta.”

Lopez paid tribute to the input of his wife on his phenomenally successful career.

“(She) has been in the background of all of my work – for every single show that she’s not received credit for, she’s been whispering in my ear the whole time,” he said.

“So, I’m glad that she is finally getting credit for being the amazing artist that I’ve always known that she is.”

In Manila, President Aquino congratulated Lopez for his feat.

“We certainly congratulate Mr. Robert John Lopez, and his wife, for their collaboration in coming up with the song ‘Let it Go,” Aquino’s spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in a press briefing.

The song was performed by Idina Menzel, who was the voice behind one of the film’s lead characters, during the nearly four-hour award rites.

According to Salon.com, Lopez won an Emmy for the television show “Wonder Pets,” a Grammy for his work on “The Book of Mormon,” and three Tony awards for “Mormon” and “Avenue Q”, joining the likes of Rita Moreno, Audrey Hepburn, Mike Nichols, and Whoopi Goldberg as fellow EGOT winners.