BlackBook Magazine

Desi Arnaz was gay. Lucille Ball was a hooker. Satanists had sex with Judy Garland's dead body. These a but a few of the questionable pearls of wisdom one can expect from Hollywood Babylon: It's Back, a celebrity scandal tome that riffs off of Kenneth Anger's classic gossip gospel. Says co-writer Danforth Prince, however, "I want to stress that it's not with any collaboration from Kenneth Anger at all." But then, he also says that he uses the same journalistic techniques that the writers of the Frommer's guides use—so he's not exactly a reliable source. Also featured in the book are money shots of Mick Jagger, Daniel Radcliffe, Ewan McGregor, John Malkovich, James Woods, Richard Gere and Arnold Schwarzenegger, according to New York Daily News. Click the jump to watch Prince talk about "modern paparazzi" with what might be the best lisp and lilt we've ever heard.

Before the ravages of war and those party-pooping Commies came along, Shanghai was a glittering city of profligate decadence and not insignificant glamour -- the Paris of the East, they called it. And as of May 16, New York’s uber-poshie Peninsula Hotel is offering a glimpse into those halcyon days with Salon de Ning, the new rooftop space that replaces its late, lamented Pen-Top Bar.

While I'm certainly no authority on Gossip Girl -- quite the reverse actually -- I do try to (occasionally!) give the people what they want. Therefore, enjoy this selective rundown of GG restaurant and nightlife set locations in New York, refined to overlap with our own BlackBook recommendations. You know you love it, and so on and so forth.

"So much of Web 2.0 has traditionally focused on how to share content widely across 'social networks' or through search. But many times users need simple, and by default, private solutions. That is what we do," says Sam Lessin, co-founder of Drop.io. And it's welcome news given the Facebook stalker scandal earlier this week. The website acts as an effective and, yes, private way to "drop" photos, videos, music, documents, voicemails, and other stuff for your own perusal and that of your friends (if you care to share).

In Chicago, check out new listings for Angels & Mariachis (hipster taqueria trying a little too hard), Anteprima (solid Italian without the usual Windy City overkill), and the Long Room (like it says, just a long, dark room for drinking). For full Chicago listings, see our restaurant guide and nightlife guide.

According to Merriam-Webster, gentrification is defined as "the process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displaces poorer residents." The editors of independent New York publisher Akashic Books, however, pride themselves on their "reverse-gentrification of the literary world." They might just be right. Focusing on urban literature and writers all too often sidelined into obscurity, the feather in Akashic's cap is its noir series, which includes collections of pulp rooted in Brooklyn, Las Vegas, Toronto, and Trinidad, among others. Toronto Noir, in particular, revels in the alleyways and shadows of a metropolis not often recognized for its dark side. Trading in flannel and "aboots" for sexual deviance and the Austerian allure of strangers, Akashic promises you'll never look at your city in the same way again.

We’re not going to lie. We didn’t uncover the Ting Tings on a chance blog encounter, or in a grimy U.K. club. It’s quite the opposite, actually. Our first time hearing them was on an iPod commercial—after we read an article on Yahoo! But that doesn’t make their songs any less catchy or us any less hip. The band’s U.K. singles include "Great DJ" and "That’s Not My Name," but leave it up to the coolhunters at Apple to choose one of their lesser known tracks, "Shut Up And Let Me Go" to be the song that gets you to buy an iPod, or make you feel pretty great that you already own one.

American documentary photographer Peter Beste is a good-looking guy, an everyman. He has blondish hair. All the more remarkable then, that he was able to ingratiate himself into the hyper-violent, ultra-exclusive Norwegian Black Metal subculture. For the last eight years, Beste has chronicled the group, known for its ties to Satanism, punk, slasher movies, violent outbreaks, arson, Pagan mythology, and man makeup. To celebrate the release of his first book, True Norwegian Black Metal (Vice Books, out today), the Steven Kasher Gallery has unveiled an exhibition of the same name, featuring 30 haunting photographs that depict scenes of fire-breathing, excessive bleeding, and really scary painted faces. These kids are definitely not alright. (Just kidding, guys. You're great. Please don't hurt me.)

Again, we're reminded of the question posed on "30 Rock." Who is this Conan O'Brien and "why is she so sad?"

In Miami, check out new restaurant listings for Ishq (semi-authentic Indian on the beach) and Vivi Ristorante (laid-back Italian for locals). For full Miami listings, see our restaurant guide.