This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
As you read this, actress/party girl Lindsay Lohan is reportedly holed up inside a luxury drug-and-alcohol rehab center at Sundance, gazing up at Mount Timpanogos and trying to halt her recent career free fall. Which is kinda ironic, because Lohan was supposed to come to Utah in January for the Sundance Film Festival premiere of her movie, "Chapter 27," but didn't show because she was stuck in L.A. - in rehab.
According to a CBS News radio report, Lohan checked in over the weekend to the Cirque Lodge, a residential treatment center in Provo Canyon where a 30-day stay costs some $30,000. A woman who answered the phone at the lodge Monday said she couldn't confirm or deny Lohan's presence. C'mon, lady, forget the war in Iraq - this is important!
Cirque's Web site, which touts the center's "serene pathway to sobriety," was barely operational Monday; maybe it's collapsing under the crush of visits from the celebrity obsessed. But according to other Internet sites, the center offers substance-abuse treatment at its Sundance lodge and a sister facility near the mouth of Provo Canyon in Orem. Past guests include Mary-Kate Olsen and David Hasselhoff.
Lohan won't exactly be roughing it during her stay. The lodge's 16 guest rooms all feature fireplaces, Jacuzzi tubs and mountain views. The Cirque recovery program balances the traditional 12-step method with "experiential therapy" such as hiking, helicopter tours, river walking (not quite sure what that is) and navigating the "world's largest indoor ropes course." Somehow I can't see Lohan paying 30 grand to scramble through an obstacle course like Seeger in "An Officer and a Gentleman."
Another Cirque program encourages guests to bond with the lodge's stable of horses. The goal of this treatment is to increase self-confidence through "the building of a trusting relationship with a fellow living creature," one Web site said. As opposed to, say, Lindsay's parents.
As you might imagine, reports of Lohan's presence in Provo have sparked a buzz on the Internet. One blogger wrote the Mean Girl was at a rehab center "in Utah, of all places." Hey, what's that supposed to mean? As for me, I'm not thrilled by the prospect of Provo Canyon crawling with paparazzi. The Redford stalkers at the Sundance resort are bad enough.
It also may be tough keeping Lohan away from that off-the-hook Orem nightlife. So much temptation, so close. But Lindsay may not be here for long. She has an Aug. 24 court date in California.