TresSugar

Addicted to A&E's Intervention? You're Not Alone

TresSugar — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 10:00:09 -0700

Exploitation. Voyeurism. Tears. There are all sorts of reasons to tune into A&E's Intervention. Maybe it's because it capitalizes on people at their lowest of lows that we cannot help but feel a twinge of guilt for tuning in again . . . and again. Its viewers are certainly a loyal bunch - some people (mostly them) would go as far as to say addicted.

Now Funny or Die has given the obsessive need to watch Intervention a name, a face, a parody. It's not the funniest thing I've seen, though I do love when his sister says, "It's the driving that worries me," as we see Saturday Night Live's Fred Armisen, the addicted, driving while watching. And it does star Elisabeth Moss, Fred's fiancee, better known as Peggy Olson on Mad Men!

Intervention Intervention with Fred Armisen from Fred Armisen

TV Interventions: Eye-Opening Truth or Blinding Exploitation?

TresSugar — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 11:00:00 -0700

Celebrity DJ Adam Goldstein (aka DJ AM) has teamed up with MTV to launch a new show tentatively titled Gone Too Far. The reality show will capture tough-love interventions for young people addicted to drugs.

You might be wondering what DJing has to do with kicking addictions. He may spin songs for party animals, but DJ AM is not one himself. He admits to a tumultuous upbringing and a struggle with hard drugs. After getting serious about recovery, with the help of friends, he has been sober for over a decade now.

DJ AM's new show sounds like A&E's Intervention, one of my favorites. While it's often hard to watch, I'm fascinated by the damage caused by addiction, and more importantly the subject's ability to confront it. I appreciate that the show almost always tells a full story - we see an addict before, during, and after the intervention.

How do you feel about these types of shows?

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Intervention Has Never Been So Fun

GiggleSugar — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:06:20 -0700

I'm having a hard time breaking my addition to A&E's Intervention. (Though I guess it could be worse.) Perhaps a song is in order?

See more Kristin Chenoweth videos at Funny or Die

Does This Reality Go Too Far?

DearSugar — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:00:00 -0700

My new favorite show, Intervention, is gaining popularity by the second. It's the show I can't wait to discuss with my friends the next day and even though the people depicted are troubled and in dire need of help, I'm fascinated each and every episode. Of course reality TV isn't anything new, but this documentary takes the reality to a whole other level. A recent article in The New York Times said it best: "Nothing on television matches its freaky calculus of exploitation and good will. Cameras follow the addicts as they shoot up, freebase, panhandle and score."

Though I feel a little voyeuristic watching these people inflicting such pain on themselves and their loved ones, knowing that the end of the hour will lead to a happy ending - out of 102 addicts profiled on the show, only two have declined treatment - makes me feel a whole lot less guilty. So if you're a fan like me, glued to the TV every Monday night, tell me, is Intervention taking reality TV too far or does it make you realize all that you have to appreciate in your own life?

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Song of the Day: Arcade Fire, "Intervention"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 10:49:03 -0800

Rarely has a record unified indie-rockers like the Arcade Fire's Funeral did when it was released in 2004. For months, you couldn't walk into a hipster party without hearing the Montreal band's sweeping orchestral rock, and even detractors had to admit the music was pretty darn different. Needless to say, the band's follow-up album, called Neon Bible and due in March or April, is one of the most hotly anticipated albums of 2007.

So the Arcade Fire has done something cool. The band is letting us hear a new track, "Intervention," by phone; just call 1-866-NEON-BIBLE ext. 7777 to listen. Or, thanks to You Ain't No Picasso, you can also hear it below. My take: While it's not a huge departure, it reminds me how much the Arcade Fire rule and makes me very excited for the new album.

Junk Food May Be as Addictive as Heroin

FitSugar — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:00:11 -0800

I don't think anyone wants to be told they're an addict - the word conjures up images of drugs, uncontrollable needs, and interventions. Oh, and add to that potato chips, cookies, and candy bars. Sound odd? A new study says that eating junk food can fuel an addiction that is on par with what a cocaine or heroin junkie feels.

The study, conducted by the Scripps Research Institute, followed the behavioral patterns of lab rats that were given an unlimited supply of junk food. Over time, the rats had less sensitivity in their brain's pleasure centers and needed to up the amount of high-fat and high-calorie foods they were eating, in effect, to get high. Not surprisingly, the rats got really fat too - doubling their initial weight.

To find out what this study means for people, read more.

To see how dependent the rats became on junk food, the scientists decided to punish them with an electric shock whenever they ate foods high in fat. The rats who had been eating the junk food for at least five days chowed down despite the electric shocks, and rats not exposed to junk food quickly stopped. I can't imagine any kind of food that's good enough to get electrocuted over!

Perhaps the biggest telltale sign happened when the rats were deprived of junk food. Instead of eating the healthy food replacement, they stopped eating altogether, and some went two weeks without food - can you say withdrawals? In the end, scientists concluded that the brain responds to junk food in the same way it responds to drugs.

Obviously, rats aren't people, but scientists say the study may be extremely telling about the effect a person's diet has on their brain. The fear is that a continuous diet high in fat and calories can permanently alter how a person responds to food. Just another reason to put down the doughnuts.

Morning Links - Robert Pattinson Walks Out on Ryan Seacrest

PopSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:30:39 -0800

Robert's publicist makes him leave a Seacrest interview after a Kristen question - TMZ
Janet says the Jackson family tried to stage interventions for Michael - Us Weekly
Miley Cyrus hates on Twilight - PopEater
Avril might be rebounding with Wilmer - Celebitchy
Christina Aguilera is working on a new movie - ICYDK
Joanna Krupa cut from Dancing With the Stars - Fox 411
Carrie Underwood talks to Ellen about her relationship with Mike Fisher - Lifeline Live
Katy Perry overshares on Twitter - Wonderwall
Cops called to Paris Hilton's house after her argument with Doug - I'm Not Obsessed
Shauna Sand thinks Carrie Prejean should just sell her sex tapes - Gawker
Anthony Michael Hall has a restraining order filed against him - The Blemish

Did Your Lil One Receive Early Intervention Services?

LilSugar — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 05:00:15 -0800

We all get excited about our children's accomplishments - from the first time they rolled over to the first time they uttered a real word - but for some mothers these bragging rights are more monumental if their lil one had a delay of some sort.

According to the National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center, approximately 300,000 infants and toddlers received some sort of Early Intervention in 2006 and that number is only expected to rise in coming years. Early Intervention is the federally mandated, state-run program that provides services such as speech therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy to tots that are experiencing delays. Though program rules vary from state to state, the programs are usually tailored for tots under the age of three, with the hope being that the services will address the delays before the toddler reaches school.

Does (or did) your child take part in these programs?

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Eyelash Intervention

FabSugar — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 15:49:44 -0700

We think Carmen Electra's eyelashes are off the hook!

Eyelash curlers will help enhance what you already have, and fake lashes may be okay for special occasions, but how do you solve the problem of small, thin or non-existent lashes? From what I hear, Jan Marini's Age Intervention Eyelash product just might do the trick!

Instead of lengthening what's already there, the Age Intervention product actually contains enzymes to stimulate hair growth in your eyelash folicles. From Jan Marini's website, "Age Intervention Eyelash goes beyond lash extensions and delivers eyelashes that are truly remarkable. Regardless of how thin, sparse or short your lashes are, and even if you are completely missing sections of your lashes, you can achieve amazing looking eyelashes."

Longer growing lashes are apparently noticeable in about 1-3 weeks. I just purchased mine this weekend, so I'll give you an update in a few weeks and let you know how it works!

Jan Marini products are available online here or at your local spa retailer.

Girl Intervention

DearSugar — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Even the most optimistic people feel down every once and a while; it’s only human. But sometimes, one day of feeling sad turns into a week and then a month and before you know it, you’ve go a bad case of the blues. The only thing worse than finding yourself in one of these phases, is having to watch a friend go through it.

You can be the best listener ever, but sometimes the only thing that works is a girl intervention, you know, when you and your friends plan an amazing day or evening for her in order to lift her spirits. There’s just nothing like a girl intervention to remind someone that they’re loved, and let's be honest, we all could use the reminder from time to time. So does your group of friends do this for each other, too? What are your tricks for cheering up your friends when life gets them down?

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