susan1212
Detective
Yeah. I get that.
Posts: 444
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Post by susan1212 on Oct 30, 2008 20:10:42 GMT -5
Congratulations to Dr. Balcer! How thrilling this must be for him...and his family!
I bow to the creator!
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Post by dragonsback on Oct 31, 2008 3:02:11 GMT -5
And what will Dr Balcer be wearing in the academic procession, or recessional?
Well, he will look very venerable, very richly honoured indeed. The Concordia doctoral hoods are (to quote the regalia stuff code): a modified Cambridge cut, made of garnet stuff and bordered with a one-inch band of gold silk.
The colour of the lining indicates the degree. The Doctor of Laws hood is lined with gold silk. ;D ;D ;D.
We must have a photograph of him in this finery.
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Post by quietfireca on Oct 31, 2008 11:45:17 GMT -5
I didn't even realize Rene Balcer was Canadian! I was wondering why the heck Concordia was giving him a degree.... A little research et voila! Cool!
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susan1212
Detective
Yeah. I get that.
Posts: 444
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Post by susan1212 on Nov 1, 2008 0:25:35 GMT -5
A man all of Canada can be proud of!
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Post by annabelleleigh on Nov 6, 2008 20:29:11 GMT -5
Rene Balcer is interviewed by his alma mater's publication prior to receiving an honorary Doctor of Law degree at a ceremony later this month. AL ------------------------------ On the use and misuse of power: René Balcer Back to Original Version Concordia JournalNovember 6, 2008 Excerpt: "René Balcer (BA 78) tries to get back to his alma mater every few years, but it must be pretty tough to find the time when you're the executive producer of Law & Order, and now Law & Order: Criminal Intent. But how could Balcer resist when he found out Concordia would be recognizing him with an honorary doctorate at this year's convocation? “I’ll keep coming back as long as they keep giving me hardware,” he joked during a phone interview. Balcer will also be speaking at the showcase event on Nov. 16 prior to convocation. Four years ago, he was honoured as Alumnus of the Year. “I like doing seminars with some of the classes,” says Balcer of the communications studies program. The same program that prepared him first as a journalist and documentary filmmaker and now to helm of the longest running primetime drama on American television. It might seem unlikely for a Dorval kid to end up the king of television crime. In addition to production duties, Balcer has written over 180 episodes of the crime show. “This is the classic stuff, Shakespeare was full of stories of fratricide and patricide.” Although he did love crime fiction as a child, and relishes his early recollections of Montreal as a wide-open town in the '50s (including a headline-grabbing murder at the West Island Pine Beach Hotel), he also heard stories from his uncle who was solicitor general under prime minister John Diefenbaker. He sees Law & Order and its enduring appeal as broader than the true-crime genre. “The true-life stuff starts as the inspiration,” says Balcer. That inspiration has earned him four Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America. “The show talks about power and the abuse or misuse of power,” he said. His early years in Montreal marked him on that front as well. “The abuse of power during the October Crisis was eye-opening to me when I was 16,” Balcer reflects.... ...Meanwhile Balcer has other projects on the go. (“I’m always working on three or four different things at the same time” he says). He has a mini-series on L.A. in the ’60s in development, and is working on a medical drama with Dreamworks and CBS. He’s also re-editing the English translation of a 13-volume catalogue of the works of Chinese painters during the cultural revolution. Full article at: cjournal.concordia.ca/archives/20081106/on_the_use_and_misuse_of_power_rene_balcer.php
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Post by annabelleleigh on Nov 10, 2008 9:20:57 GMT -5
More on the honorary doctorate with some fresh details. Boldface mine. AL ------------------------------------- Concordia kept TV writer René Balcer ethically groundedLaw & Order writer cites humanistic approach By Brendan Kelly The Montreal GazetteNovember 10, 2008 Excerpt: "...Balcer has fond memories of his time studying at Concordia all those years ago and he firmly believes that some of what he learned there has stood him in good stead during the nearly 30 years he's toiled as a film and TV writer and producer in Los Angeles.... ...[H]is career really hit cruising speed when he began writing for police/legal procedural TV powerhouse Law & Order near the start of the phenomenally popular show's run back in the early '90s. Balcer has penned 69 episodes of the original Law & Order and 155 episodes of the spin-off Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and has executive produced both shows. His current day job is as head writer and executive producer of Law & Order, which, astonishingly, kicked off its 19th season last week. Balcer says working on the long-running show is like "being a performer on Cats or Phantom of the Opera." What he soaked up during his Concordia days still influences the way he approaches his job on Law & Order. The Jesuit John O'Brien founded the Communication Arts program at Loyola in 1965, and the Jesuit legacy of humanism influences Balcer's work to this day. "It was the way of integrating media and ethics, and to do media work with some kind of conscience as a navigator," said Balcer, in a phone interview from Los Angeles. "It's a humanistic approach to content. If anyone bothers to look at the episodes (of Law & Order) I've done and the work that I've done, (they) would probably see that influence. You're thinking of the effect of content on the viewer. It's not just a matter of telling a story, of getting from Point A to B, but also thinking about subtext, thinking about how the audience is affected by the content, how television engages the viewer. It's just thinking about those larger issues." Law & Order - which always starts with a police investigation and ends up in court in the second half of the episode - often touches on social issues of the day, and Balcer says he and the other writers have found plenty of fresh material in a post-9/11 world where the U.S. government has been given sweeping new powers to investigate its citizens... ...But Law & Order is clearly not just about social issues. There is something in the show that has remarkable appeal, with some suggesting the formulaic drama is the TV equivalent of comfort food. "In theory, it could go on forever," said Balcer, presumably not disturbed by this concept. "Crime is an endlessly renewable resource, and I think people will always have a fascination with criminal behaviour and with the law, in terms of how it affects them. Because when you're talking about the law, you're talking about human behaviour." The full story at www.canada.com/montrealgazette/columnists/story.html?id=2f9fed9a-fd13-496c-8c85-0b381a66d200
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Post by DonnaJo on Nov 10, 2008 13:37:55 GMT -5
A great article, Annabelle. Others in the entertainment industry, especially writers, could learn something from Mr. Balcer's humanistic approach.
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Post by annabelleleigh on Nov 18, 2008 15:44:39 GMT -5
And what will Dr Balcer be wearing in the academic procession, or recessional? Well, he will look very venerable, very richly honoured indeed. The Concordia doctoral hoods are (to quote the regalia stuff code): a modified Cambridge cut, made of garnet stuff and bordered with a one-inch band of gold silk. The colour of the lining indicates the degree. The Doctor of Laws hood is lined with gold silk. ;D ;D ;D. We must have a photograph of him in this finery. You asked for it DB. ;-) AL Rene Balcer receiving an honorary Doctor of Law degree from his alma mater, Montreal's Concordia University, on November 17, 2008.
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Post by Patcat on Nov 18, 2008 16:37:15 GMT -5
Thanks, AL.
Patcat
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Post by dragonsback on Nov 18, 2008 23:18:32 GMT -5
How commanding, yet boyish Dr Balcer looks in his scholar's weeds. RB should billow into every meeting at 30 Rock in his academic regalia. Who would dare not defer to those triple PhD hash marks, that gold-lined hood? Perfect outfit for Chinese New Year, too. Thanks a mil, Annabelle. Do you want to sing? I know I want to sing. Just follow the link to the Students' Hymn. GAUDEAMUS IGITUR!
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Post by DonnaJo on Nov 19, 2008 7:55:04 GMT -5
He does look simply fantastic. Thanks AL. Sadly, I found out too late from a posting at Major Case to post here that the Convocation was offered via a web stream (live feed) at the Universities' web site. I would have enjoyed watching it, as some of you I'm sure would have.
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Post by dragonsback on Nov 19, 2008 8:30:10 GMT -5
All flipness aside, RB does look great. And an honorary doctorate celebrates more than a regular PhD- not just defense of a single thesis, but a lifetime of exceptional achievement. I still want to borrow that gown for Chinese New Year, though.
Shame we missed the Convo. Wonder if it will show upon YouTube?
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Post by annabelleleigh on Nov 19, 2008 15:21:06 GMT -5
Ask and you shall receive. To see Mr. Balcer become Dr. Balcer go to events.pqm.net/concordia/20081117/and click on the 3 PM event link. Hope you like bagpipes. AL P.S. You may want to fast forward about 18 minutes and start your viewing there.
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Post by dragonsback on Nov 20, 2008 16:37:16 GMT -5
Thanks loads for that, AL Rene did a good job, and probably he will achieve what few before him have: his appearance, and some of what he said will be remembered in years to come by the graduates. As he acknowledged, it's not unusual for these speeches to be entirely forgotten by those whom the words were supposed to edify. It would help, of course, if the worthies such as the Colonel Blimp chancellor (the first speaker,l trite in English, ghastly in French) and the dean(? - woman speaker) had not been so stupefyingly tedious. Not a reflection on Concordia - worthies are dull at convos everywhere. "As you go forth..." etc. The woman even managed to wrok in what sounded like an Annual Report to Shareholders. Rene's professor was a sweet thing, though. Loved the bagpipes, loved the piper.
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Post by DonnaJo on Nov 20, 2008 19:12:58 GMT -5
I cheated - thanks to Annabelle's mention of time. I was very moved by Rene's speech. He put into words so perfectly how I also feel about the election of Barack Obama, and what it means to our country. He is a very natural speaker, and was pretty funny too. I really enjoyed what he had to say. His advice was very spot on considering today's times & the economic devastation we all will be facing.
I was also touched that so many of the graduates in the audience clapped & cheered when he mentioned Obama. I'm sure there are some American students in the mix, but it's obvious that our gracious & wonderful northern neighbors care very deeply about us. It's humbling.
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