"Fork on the Left, Knife in the Back" is the latest zippy collection of columns and essays from Michael Musto, the popular columnist for "The Village Voice" and a mouthy groundbreaker who takes no prisoners. This collection zooms in on Musto's favorite celebrities to punk (Sean Combs, Paris Hilton); New York's most debauched and amusing nightlife experiences; and Musto's own odysseys, as he talks about the art of TV whoring and the allure of kinky sex, pausing to don drag to imagine what it must be like to be him as Lindsay Lohan as Marilyn Monroe. Stopping for some actual appreciation, the section titled "Weirdos Are My Heroes" celebrates the oddballs and entertainers who've elevated the culture, shockingly including Jerry Springer and Sarah Silverman. The book also features an introduction written by Musto, as well as new pieces on universal fame in the new-media age, the state of the celebrity closet, and the appeal of blind gossip items.

Michael Musto writes the hilariously outspoken entertainment column "La Dolce Musto" in "The Village Voice." A popular TV commentator as well as a regular presence in magazines, he lives in New York.