get 'er done

Extreme Makeover might push back The Big Reveal, but neighboring Goodhope homesbenefit

It's coming along fast, but it still might not be down by Saturday.
Spectators watch the Extreme Makeover build.
The crew does some work on other homes in the neighborhood.
It makes you feel good to do good work.

Workers on the site of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition's Houston homeare scrambling to meet the Saturday deadline for "The Big Reveal."

"It's scheduled for tomorrow," volunteer Amber Rainking said, "but I wouldn't bet on it." Instead, show officials are already allowing that the Reveal (when the completed house is shown for the first time) could be pushed back to Sunday.

Still, the mood was cheery in the spectator area, where visitors to the set had travelled from all corners of Houston to get a glimpse of the construction site at 3613 Goodhope Street. "I drove all the way out from the north side of town twice today already," said Wendy Cadden, who intends to return at midnight to witness the crew's 24-hour schedule.

Cadden originally arrived early in the morning to volunteer, but was already too late — the set was faced with an endearingly eager surplus of volunteers.

On the home site, construction workers were in a good-vibes frenzy as they added architectural elements. Several volunteers were literally whistling as they worked.

Cadden was particularly exhilarated about having met Extreme Makeover's Jane Thompson. Thompson is heading up the beautification of the lot next door, including a play area, gazebo and organic garden.

In the VIP tent, Thompson expressed her joy over the plans with plain modesty. "It's going to be nice," she told CultureMap.

Beyond Thompson's nascent community greenspace, several nearby freshly painted, sky blue bungalows evidence the show's outreach into the entire neighborhood.

Stay tuned to CultureMap for more updates from the site. Channel 13 — which broadcasts Extreme Makeover and is posting extensive photo galleries of the build each day on its website — has put up its latest day five photos too.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”