Every comic hears his biological career-clock ticking, and while comedian David Cross is only in his early 40s, he tells me that he’s past his prime for “these types of interviews.” Really, his prospects are only improving -- devoted fans will surely line up for his first book, I Drink for a Reason, on shelves in August. And let’s not forget his upcoming role in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squekuel, which Cross is apparently less than enthusiastic about. “There is nothing in my contract that says I can't show up to work stinking drunk every day though, so I'll have the last laugh", he told Gothamist. Fellow comic Artie Lange once said, "David Cross plays a gay guy and it just doesn't work. And his stand-up is self-indulgent, awful, boring and he treats an audience like shit. ... There's moments of brilliance. Don't get me wrong. ... He comes off like an uptight prick."

"White-collar boxing is keeping Gleason's open," owner Bruce Silverglade had said. Gleason’s motto is, “You don't have to smell good to train here." Despite the fact that he’s a graduate of Penn State, is well off, and comes from a good family, 25-year-old native New Yorker Tor Hamer is not only the country's number-one ranked amateur super-heavyweight, but also the anti-Rocky (sorry, Philly). Towering over his posse (preppy kids from the UES, the Gossip Girl types) at 6’2’’ and pushing 230 pounds, this charmer with a baby face (still intact -- he’s yet to get hurt, not even the boxer-trademark black eye) has a misleading mug for a bona fide boxing champ and party boy. Hamer’s other homes, besides the ring (he trains six days a week, for three hours straight) are “exclusive” nightclubs: Bungalow, Tenjune, Southside, and the Box. His longtime friend is Southside’s resident DJ, Nick Cohen, who’s dating Keith Richards’ daughter. "You’d think I ‘d get laid more often,” Hamer says.

Paradoxical as it seems, during a time when right-wingers and leftists are at each other's throats, there are still those who leave their politics aside when it comes to bumping uglies. America Swings (Taschen, October 2008) is documentary photographer Naomi Harris' first book -- a borderline-X-rated expose, featuring middle-aged middle-Americans at good old fashioned swinger sex parties -- from hoedowns, barbeques, and private clubs to the inside of their suburban homes. Exclusivity amongst swingers' clubs varies, but the parties Harris shot are far from haughty (see our gallery of samples, which, while among the tamer examples, are still most certainly NSFW).

On Friday, September 13, I arranged an interview with Heather and Amber Langely, better known as the Porcelain Twinz. It was a week after they had posted a scandalous post on their MySpace -- a tell-all about their unsettling experiences, working at the New York nightlife novelty The Box. It's been a hectic few weeks for Twinz: There’s a lot of press regarding their legal case against Box owner Simon Hammerstein, and they are without work. Yesterday, Eater reported on a community board meeting, held on Monday, during which the Box was denied a renewal application for its liquor license. What really goes on at the Box has always remained concealed behind a heavy and closely watched door; however, if the Twinz blow up their case against Hammerstein, the debauchery and scandalous events they allege might explain why the club has such a strict entrance policy.

My mother's partially to blame for Heather joining the sideshow. Heather Ramon, my childhood friend and fellow Girl Scout, is now known as Heather Holliday, the sword-swallowing starlet of Coney Island's freak show, "Sideshows by the Seashore". Miss Holiday has mastered the art of effortlessly devouring 28 inches of cold steel to the very bottom of her throat. As she explains to her audience, "All you need is saliva, no lubrication required." Of course, you'll want to see the video.