The real-life family that inspired a blockbuster movie will be coming to a TV screen near you.

Leigh Anne Tuohy, her husband and  family, famous for the true life story of “The Blind Side,” are pitching in to help a family in need for the season finale of “Extreme Makeover Home Edition.”

The family that inspired "The Blind Side" help "Extreme Makeover Home Edition"

The special season ending episode will air on Sunday, May 16 at 8pm on ABC and RTV 6. (Sandra Bullock won an Oscar for portraying Leigh Anne Tuohy.)

This season ”Extreme Makeover” has welcomed celebrities to assist in the construction projects. They have included American Idol stars, The Muppets, NASCAR great Jeff Gordon, and recently actress Jessica Alba. 

The stars have been impacted by their experience. Alba made news last week when she announced she was adopting a baby  inspired by her time on “Extreme Makeover” with a family that took in orphans.  

If the homes the construction crews are building look a little smaller, they are. An article in The Wall Street Journal last week noted that producers are building homes that are more recession-proof. In the early years of the show, huge mansions were built that exceeded the financial capabilities of the families being helped. So now the homes, while still impressive, are made to better suit the families and their incomes.

By the way, the “Extreme Makeover” crew has built two homes in Indiana in the past 12 months. Word coming from producers is they would like to return to do another home in the heartland next season.

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“Glee” is coming back on Tuesday. (Thank goodness for DVR’s)

The cast of "Glee"...please don't jump the shark!

While I’m excited to see this terrific show return, I’m also a little concerned.

The hype machine has been on overdrive for this freshman show that could…I don’t want to see this show burn-out. And it could happen really fast. Seems like they have all sorts of stunts planned (a special episode with all Madonna tunes for example, Neil Patrick Harris as a special guest star, possibly Jennifer Lopez as a guest star, a Broadway version of the TV show, the cast is on Oprah, the cast meets the President etc. etc. etc.)

When a show catches on this fast, it can come crashing down just as quickly.

Remember NBC’s “Heroes”…great show for the first year, then it jumped the shark and could never recapture the lightning in the bottle again. The audience gave up on it a couple years ago. NBC will probably do the same after this year.

I’d like to see those “Glee” kids around for at least a couple of years.

So NBC is pulling the plug on the Jay Leno Show primetime experiment.

NBC pointing fingers at their two stars?

And in typical NBC fashion, the network has effectively screwed up two of the best things that it has going for it –  Leno and Conan O’Brien.

Listen, I’m not gonna cry for a couple of guys that are guaranteed millions of dollars a year. But they do deserve better.

I’ve always found Conan hilarious. But Jay’s humor over the past decade has been a little soft.

Getting mistreated by NBC may make him funnier.

Remember when David Letterman, working at NBC, tried to offer his new GE bosses a gift basket? He and his camera crew were escorted from the building! It was great TV…and hilarious.

Cranky Dave has always been funny, but his humor got a helluva lot sharper (and better) when he went after the goofball bosses at NBC. 

Last week Leno took some uncharacteristic but hilarious shots at NBC when word got out that his show was going to be yanked from primetime. I thought it was some of the funniest stuff I’ve seen from him in years. It was GREAT!

Maybe Jay can learn from Letterman. A cranky Jay is a funnier Jay.

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BTW, if NBC is pulling Jay Leno out of prime…what the heck are they gonna put at 10pm? Can they do three hours of “The Biggest Loser” Monday through Friday?

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Did you see the Cowan family from Bunker Hill, Indiana on “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” on Sunday night?

I had the chance to talk to mom Heather Cowan last week by phone. Sweet lady and a very deserving family.

If you didn’t get to see it, you should be able to watch it on the ABC Video Player on-line at TheIndyChannel.com.

In February in my role as Program Director for RTV 6, I was notified by ABC that “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” was considering a visit to Indianapolis. At the time I had no idea the emotional wallop it would turn into.

On Sunday night I watched the season finale of “Extreme Makeover.” And there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

As you know, the “Extreme” crew was here in Indy on the near eastside the last week of March. They had only seven days to build a house for the Bernard McFarland family. 

What surprised me was just how much more the crew did while they were here in Indy.

We knew some of the wonderful gifts the neighborhood received. Wi-fi for the whole area; a thousand trees planted; abandoned homes bulldozed; and neighbor’s homes remodeled. But the two hour telecast revealed more.

For two hours, the city of Indianapolis and several places were showcased in the show.

We saw Ty Pennington visit The Herron School of Art. The students there created a remarkable scrapbook of memories for Bernard by creating special parchment from recycled products.

The home under construction

The Indiana Pacers made an appearance, donating 50 basketballs for the new basketball court at the McFarland home (along with season tickets and other gifts)

We saw the Colts donate dozens of items for a special auction that Ty, Paige and Michael held at Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse.

RTV 6’s own Kevin Gregory and the 6 NEWS studios were featured in the telecast giving designers ideas on how to put together one of the teenager’s TV inspired rooms.

And as far as Indy as a whole, we saw the Speedway, downtown, the Sears in Greenwood, and so much more.

Was the show good?

It was warm, emotional, touching and inspiring.

It’s also a perfect Tivo-proof network show as advertisers are an integral part of the actual program. No skipping these commercials. For example, Sears product-placement was featured throughout. But don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining. Especially when it is presented in such a positive and uplifting way. Speaking of Tivo, I am sure many were rolling Sunday night. Ratings not surprisingly, were huge! “Extreme” was the most watched program on any channel last night in Central Indiana. Nearly a third of all TVs were tuned in at one point during the show. That is a remarkable rating!

If you did miss the show, you can still watch it on-line. Check it out here on TheIndyChannel.com.

BTW, 6 NEWS’ Todd Wallace talked  to Bernard McFarland last week. His special reports on Life After the Reveal air Monday and Tuesday night at 11PM on the 6 NEWS Nightcast. The reports will offer an interesting perspective to sudden celebrity and attention.

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My pick to win the trophy on "Dancing"

So who’s going to win “DANCING WITH THE STARS?” The final dances are set for Monday night. I gotta go with Gilles Marini and Cheryl Burke!

A big part of the reason is Cheryl as she could capture her THIRD trophy.

The finale is set for Monday at 8pm…with the two hour results show on Tuesday at 9p-11p on ABC and RTV 6. (For fun, I think it will be interesting to see if David Alan Grier shows up to dance again…he seemed very, very bitter to have been voted off weeks ago.)

And will we see Jewel and Nancy O’Dell on the floor? They were original contestants but had to step away due to injuries before the season started.

Kevin Gregory on Extreme Makeover

THIS JUST IN…

The producers of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition  have alerted Channel 6 that Kevin Gregory and 6 NEWS will be featured in the 2 hour season finale of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” The show will air this Sunday night at 7pm on ABC and RTV 6!

Kevin taped a special sequence with designer Paul DeMeo at the 6 NEWS studios. 

The show was taped in late March and features the McFarland family. The Estridge Company, dozens of local companies and hundreds of local volunteers came together to build a beautiful dream home in just seven days.

Then the next night, 6 NEWS anchor Todd Wallace follows up to see how life has changed since the show left town.  That will air on Monday night at 11pm on the 6 NEWS Nightcast.  

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Last week, the queen of daytime TV, Oprah Winfrey, announced on TV that Kentucky Fried Chicken would be giving away FREE KFC Grilled chicken dinners! All you had to do was download a free coupon from a special website and you could claim a free meal.

Sounds too good to be true, right?

It was.

KFC, in what must be an incredibly ill advised concept has not so surprisingly, run out of chicken in many of their restaurants. 

They seem genuinely surprised that if they offered free food, particularly on a show like ”Oprah” that people would, y’know, want a free dinner.

It will go down in marketing history as a great idea…that turned into a PR nightmare.

I went to KFC on Saturday night and I felt really bad for the poor kids left to deal with the angry and outraged customers.

I imagine Ms. Oprah herself is also a little angry and outraged, too.  It’s not her fault KFC couldn’t fulfill their promise. But to have Oprah herself offering up the promotion, ya gotta believe that Harpo (Oprah’s company) will certainly ask more questions next time.

Oprah’s network of women viewers are not a customer base you want to tick off.

So I started thinking of other PR mistakes that rival the KFC stumble. Not surprisingly, there’s plenty to recall.   

How about this one from last month: A bonehead in the White House thinks it would be a great idea to have Air Force One buzz the New York City skyline, all so they can get a picture with The Statue of Liberty.

Okay, cool pic. But don’t you think New Yorkers deserve to know its not another terrorist attack. I saw the video…it looked pretty damn scary if you were standing there in lower Manhattan. Someone lost their job for that one.

Herb the Nerd

Remember back in the 80’s when Burger King decided to take the hamburger wars to a new level…with a NERD as a spokesman. They launched a $40 million campaign around Herb the Nerd, a campaign that had McDonald’s laughing all the way to the bank.

If you don’t remember the stupid spots, you can be forgiven. BK yanked the commercials due to the very negative reaction to it.

How about this one…New Coke. A “classic” mistake. Enough said.

Finally, the other bad PR move of recent weeks. The Colts releasing a press release to answer their critics in the on-going CIB/Stadium shortfall. They were right to point out a contract is a contract. The city negotiated a bad deal. But I think what teed so many people off is the Colt’s claim they didn’t ask for a new stadium to be built.

Really? They would have stayed in Indy, in the RCA Dome? Right….

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This is the week of Season finales! Already mentioned the Extreme Makeover finale up above. The two hour LOST airs Wednesday from 9-11p.  After Izzie’s emotional wedding last week, GREY’S ANATOMY goes out with a two hour finale on Thursday at 9. DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES wraps up their season with a (you got it) a two hour finale on Sunday at 9pm.

Crews clean the sidewalks of the "Extreme Makeover" home

If you are reading this, you have probably been following the Indianapolis build for ABC’s “Extreme Makeover Home Edition.”

For all of us at RTV 6, it has been a remarkable couple of weeks!

So here’s the behind the scenes story.

GETTING THE WORD

Channel 6 first learned of the potential build several weeks ago. As the ABC station for central Indiana, the network will generally give their affiliates a “heads up” when one of their shows will be shooting in the area. But “Extreme Makeover” is a particularly interesting show as the element of surprise is critical for the success of the program.

So while we knew something may be coming, we were generally in the dark about specifics until the very last minute.

First, a note.

In my many years of working at WRTV, I have had the pleasure to work with many productions and programs that have aired on Channel 6. But I have to tell you, the producers, designers and crew that work on “Extreme Makeover” were some of the nicest, friendliest and very genuine professionals we have had the chance to work with. Good people all the way around.

Designer Michael Maloney on site with the Extreme crew

Diane Korman, the show’s senior producer, was the first to reach out to the station. She’s has worked on “Extreme Makeover” since the very first episode six years ago. And she was one of the sweetest people. Based on the concept of helping families in need, she admitted she has one of the best jobs in the world!  

“EXTREME MAKEOVER” IS COMING!

After The Estridge Company was selected to build and coordinate the construction in Indy (a great choice I might add) the show alerted us of a timeline to announce the show coming to Indiana. Paul Estridge Jr. was invited to make the official announcement on a Monday morning on 6 NEWS “Good Morning Indiana.”

Only a few days later, Channel 6’s Kevin Gregory joined Estridge and the show’s producers for a pep rally for all the construction crews and local businesses that were donating their time and resources for the seven day build. It is amazing how many volunteers immediately stepped forward to help on the project. And the businesses and skilled laborers that donated their time is remarkable. (Channel 6 phones rang off the hook as people wanted to get involved.)  

Designer Paul DeMaeo with Kevin Gregory in the 6 NEWS studios

Just one week and a day after that pep rally, the ”Extreme” crew finally revealed the family and the location of the new home. And the seven day demolition and construction was underway!

That’s right…the location was kept secret right up until the last minute.

HOW CHANNEL 6 HELPS OUT “EXTREME MAKEOVER”    

But a few days before the family and location were announced, the show’s designers reached out to Channel 6 for some help. 

So a team of engineers, production folks and other members of the RTV 6 staff met to talk to producers about one of the rooms the Extreme Team, led by designer Paul DeMaeo, would  build. We were told one of the kids in the home was specifically interested in getting into television news/production. So the “Extreme” designers came to us for some technical advice. 

The week of the actual build, DeMaeo, or Paulie as everyone calls him, and a camera crew  stopped by the Channel 6 studios. Chief Meteorologist Kevin Gregory gave Paulie a tour. Paul was looking for ideas and inspiration for the teenager’s room. And if you were watching last Wednesday evening’s 5PM newscast, you saw Paulie do the weather with Kevin LIVE on the air. (For Kevin’s daughter, this has got to be a particularly big deal. Extreme Makeover Home Edition is one of her favorite shows. So to have your Dad involved in one of your faves has to be pretty cool.)

Paulie and Kevin and producer in front of the weather wall

Paulie was terrific fun and our crew had a blast inviting the “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” crew into our house.

Based on the amount of time they were with us, I’m guessing there is a pretty good chance Kevin and our team will show up on national TV in the episode.

Kevin also donated a special gift on behalf of the TV station for Paulie to use in the final room design – one of our studio light fixtures that could be used as a TV studio reference in the teen’s bedroom/TV studio.

RTV 6 EMPLOYEES DONATE THEIR TIME TO THE EFFORT

As you saw all last week on 6 NEWS (and in case you missed any of the daily stories, you can click HERE to see them on TheIndyChannel.com) the build went very smoothly, despite the wild fluctuations in the weather.

RTV 6 Design Director Kirk Preuschl donated his time to create animations, 3D logos and graphics for the teen’s TV/bedroom.  Other employees including  6 NEWS Videojournalist Jason Scheuer, RTV 6’s Manager of Digital Media Seth Keever and RTV 6 Technologist Todd Frazee donated many hours of their time inside the home working most of Friday night and Saturday setting up all the technology.  And I understand it is amazing.

Some of the thousands that visited the build last week

But we can’t show any of it to you just yet. You’re going to have to watch the two hour season finale of “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” to see the room Channel 6 assisted with and the rest of the amazing home when it airs on Sunday, May 17th from 7pm to 9pm on ABC and RTV 6.   

If it captures even a fraction of the excitement and enthusiasm we have seen over the past couple of weeks, it will be two hours of can’t miss TV.

Setting up for a sweeping camera view at the Extreme Makeover site