So now it has aired, and I can give a few more of my opines regarding “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” Last evening revelers packed Shea’s for the two-hour-long special’s premier. They also packed my church, The Tabernacle (Southwestern Blvd., Orchard Park) for a similar event (following Sunday evening service, of course). Buffalo got its time in the national spotlight.
I think the camera crew did a fantastic job of making Buffalo actually look good. Not the rundown slums on the West Side, but rather the shots capturing city hall, sunrises on the skyline, and Erie Basin Marina.
As I looked at the Powell family’s deteriorating West Side home, I imagined Buffalo back in its glory days. Back when heavy industry dominated the city and good-paying jobs were plentiful. One thing to be said for those old West Side homes is that they possess ornate woodwork and plenty of character. If only those walls could talk.
But one must wonder, just like with Powell’s home, how do these once-stately structures fall into such disarray? Why did people stop caring about inner-city Buffalo? Can Governor David Patterson really make good on his promise to rehab housing in New York State, starting with Buffalo? Will community gardens, fresh paint, and sidewalks really rehab the crime-smeared, slum-infested inner city?
There are a lot of questions that remain to be answered. But anyway, about the show. I haven’t watched “Extreme Makeover” in years. And you know what? I think it’s staged and hokey. No way a bus can entirely mask a two-story house from view. Once that bus was moved, I was about deafened by the Powell family’s constant screaming and squealing. I get it. They’re overwhelmed with joy. But ears are still ringing from the reveal.
Today Tom Baurele and others were criticizing the huge dole of material goods the Powell’s received. They got an extreme load of goods, because after all, this is an extreme makeover. Donating to such a project is a good PR stunt. Whether for Sears, Ashley Furniture, Canisius College, or any of the other benefactors that got some pluggola, ad revenues are ultimately what drive network television.
Fact is, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” makes money for ABC. Otherwise, it would be cancelled. To be jealous or to expect an even distribution of such wealth is frivolous. Someone’s going to get an extreme home makeover; it might as well have been the Powells. They seemed like a nice, hardworking family. They were down on their luck. And this Jamaican mother got to see an extreme example of American generosity.
Regarding my church’s hand in all this? Jim McGinnis got into the Buffalo News’ coverage of the event today. The church got some good press, and this time not in a column that otherwise belittled Orchard Park for its perceived snobbiness.
Questions remain. Can this remake-the-neighborhood momentum really succeed? Does Buffalo have the population and drive to revitalize its inner city slums? The area is losing people every year. Are there enough people to populate the urban core? Will “green” gardens product edible food in polluted soil?
In the here and now, I think “Extreme Makeover” was good for Buffalo’s image. For once the city wasn’t receiving press coverage for a record snowstorm. The Bills were featured doing charitable work, not losing a Super Bowl. And everyone enjoyed Buffalo Wings. I’m happy for the Powell family. We’ll see if the goodwill can last.
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