USC Alumni Take Home an Oscar

Two Trojan alumni took home Oscars Sunday night at the 85th annual Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood's Dolby Theatre.

Chris Terrio, 36, won his first Academy Award for Argo, the best adapted 2012 screenplay.  Argo's co-producer Grant Heslov, 47, also took center stage to receive his Oscar for best picture.

USC junior and production major, Joe Weil, was not surprised by the Trojans' win.

"There hasn't been a year where we haven't won an Oscar since about 1977," he said.

The Academy on Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has nominated at least one Trojan alumnus each year since the first ceremony in 1929, according to USC's fact page.

"It's inspiring just to see that there are so many USC grads that are within the industry," said Sam Canter, a sophomore in the the cinema school.

"Pretty much every major director put out a movie this year," said Weil. "I'd be freaking out if I was those guys."

Weil and Canter aspire to win an Oscar one day. Currently, they are working together on a film entitled Fringes, which they  describe as a "Jewsploitation" adventure that follows three Jewish gunslingers who enter a remote southern town to save a Rabbi and his family from an anti-Semetic mayor. 

Weil joked that Terrio and Heslov are welcome to help finance his movie.

"They've got to give out love to the Trojan family," he said.

"Congrats to all the USC graduates and all the winners, and I'm hoping I can be there one day too," said Canter.