HOT TABLE

Cattelan Italia spiral table

Cool lifestyles start with cool living at home, and cool living at home starts with hot furniture. This spiral table from Cattelan Italia is the perfect piece for bringing a little elegant funk to your living room — and it is so beautiful that it doubles as a work of art. You can buy it at City Schemes, located on Mass Ave, in Cambridge, between Harvard and Central Squares.

HOT BOOB TUBE

Demand the best

Laziness never goes out of style in America. Now you don’t even have to leave your house to rent a movie, thanks to digital cable’s gift to the masses, On Demand. Classics, action, blockbusters, porn, you name it; you can order it with one press of the "Okay" button. Of course, On Demand has lots of free stuff too. Half of Comedy Channel’s programming is available, as are all the back episodes of Da Ali G Show that you’ve missed so far this season.

HOT HALF SHELL

Beautiful bivalves

Whether you like them briny or sweet, the aphrodisiacal appetizer of the year has to be the ever-popular oyster. And showing off your knowledge about this mineral-rich, slimy delicacy is just as en vogue. Anybody can talk wine, but how many people know that the old "R"-month rule doesn’t apply to Northern Atlantic oysters because the water never gets warm enough to cause bacterial levels to rise. Now, you do! The true oyster connoisseur takes them straight with just a twist of lemon, but a dollop of horseradish or mignonette isn’t frowned upon in most circles. Our favorite spots for slurping the slimies are B&G Oysters, Great Bay, Jasper White’s Summer Shack, Legal Sea Foods, McCormick & Schmick’s, Central Kitchen, Rustic Kitchen, and the East Coast Grill.

HOT SCENE

Dillon’s heats up

Old-timers remember the site as Division 16. Many of us frequented the location in its Barcode guise. But now, as Dillon’s, the hopping spot at 955 Boylston Street has found its true calling. Dillon’s is a relaxed, welcoming bar, restaurant, and lounge that features a great patio, a killer weekend brunch, and a brand-new menu of small plates. It is also one of the best places in the city to catch an afterwork cocktail. Check it out.

HOT SCENEMAKERS

Drag kings

Before we go into this item, we just want to send out props to all our favorite drag queens out there — go, girls! Now, on the other side of the coin, some of the hottest drag acts around are drag kings. From the Athens Boys Choir to Bust magazine’s fashion spreads, girls who are boys — and the girls who love them — are everywhere! Gender-bending ladies can be seen at Hollywood KTV’s "Glitter Switch Drag Karaoke" each month, and at Jacques for Monday night’s "Traniwreck." Believe it or not, "Glitter Switch" is fast becoming a hot spot for bachelorette parties.

HOT DISTRICT

The Seaport

South Boston’s Seaport District is the fastest-growing area in the city. With such Boston landmarks as Anthony’s Pier 4, the No Name Restaurant, Jimmy’s Harborside, Jimbo’s, and the World Trade Center, this part of town has been on everyone’s radar for some time. But with newer projects like the Seaport Hotel, the federal courthouse, and the brand-new Convention Center, Boston is seeing a waterside resurgence.

HOT SIP

Arnold Palmer at Stephanie’s

For those of you who don’t drink at lunch (really, you should have gone into journalism), the dilemma is often: soda, iced tea, or lemonade? Soda is out — too many bubbles and too much sugar. Why decide between lemonade and iced tea when you can have them both in the same glass? The half-and-half mixture of the two, known as an Arnold Palmer (after the legendary golfer who first popularized the drink), is best enjoyed over a tasty lunch on the patio at Stephanie’s.

HOT SCENE

Where comedy meets rock

They play at indie-rock clubs and put out CDs on indie labels, but they aren’t indie musicians; hmmmm? The new flood of indie comedians is taking the entertainment world by storm. Maybe it started when David Cross joined forces with punk bands for the Rock Against Bush Tour right before he released his new two-disc album on Sub Pop. Bringing it even closer to the indie zone, Jon Wurster, the drummer from Superchunk, recently released a few sketch-comedy CDs on his own indie label, Stereolaffs. Hell, we even have our own local boy, Eugene Mirman, playing the comedy and rock scenes in Boston and New York.

HOT HEEL

Foot spectators

Last year’s return of the ’40s-classic spectator pump has reached a whole new level this season. The term we’ve heard that best describes the shoe of the year is "embellished spectator." It has all the leather trim, cutouts, and tonalities of the traditional spectator, but it explodes out with new accessories. Whether it’s wacky-colored Manolos, abstractly configured Diors, or traditionally inspired Pradas, they all have one thing in common — embellishments. Chains dangle across oxblood-and-brown toes, jewel-studded brooches sit atop leather-and-tweed mules, and bows and buckles are everywhere. With shoes that steal the stage, it is best to go simple with your dress.

HOT REBIRTH

Round and round

Are you wondering what long-forgotten childhood item they’ll dig up and remarket to death next? How about a hot cereal? Actually, it’s a cold cereal that’s hot: Cheerios! Yes, sir, you heard it here first: every toddler’s favorite finger food is making a comeback, not only because they’re retro cool, but also because they are oh-so-good for you. Of course, some of us are more partial to the honey-nut variety . . . but that hasn’t stopped restaurant chefs from using Cheerios in their dishes for that exotic-yet-familiar feeling. Cheerio-crusted salmon, anyone?

HOT JEWELRY

A good Storry

Delicate and idiosyncratic are some of the words devotees of Alison Storry use to describe her jewelry line. Using high-karat golds and colorful combinations of semiprecious stones, Storry recently won over Saks buyers, who are now selling her beautiful baubles at their store’s esteemed counters. Besides her local celebrity clientele, this replanted Brit counts Fergie from Black Eyed Peas among her admirers. Can we sign up for that?

HOT NEW CLUBS

Two for you

With two new clubs opening in Boston this fall, nightlife impresario Kevin Troy probably never sleeps. The first new club, called Gypsy Bar, will be a high-end, elegant nightspot with all the trimmings: special VIP treatments, fancy drinks, private suites, etc. It’s scheduled for an October launch. The second is Liquor Store, which will feature wild décor and a nonstop party atmosphere, including Boston’s only mechanical bull and a plethora of crazy contests. The Liquor Store concept will be spreading to other cities, including Las Vegas. Boston’s nightlife is about to get a little hotter.

HOT NEW CLUB PART 2

Real Deal Jazz Club

After booking the Regattabar for 19 years, Fenton Hollander has moved on to another venue. You’ll find him now at the Real Deal Jazz Club & CafŽ in the Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center, located at 41 Second Street near the CambridgeSide Galleria. Look for a great selection of national and local jazz acts in the coming months; check out http://www.concertix.com/ for a full schedule.

HOT HOE

Urban gardening

With retail prices for flowers and organic produce going through the roof, more and more people are growing their own, even in the city. Flower boxes, deck and terrace gardens, and community plots are in full bloom all over Boston. There are extensive waiting lists — the sure sign that something has caught on — for plots in community gardens in the South End, Cambridge, and JP. How very exclusive.

HOT SERVICE

We love Ella

If you suspect your mug isn’t quite as magnificent as it used to be, maybe you need to invest in regular visits to an aesthetician. The city’s hottest skin maven of the moment is Ella Yakubova at I Soci Salon. This Newbury Street veteran will give you the kind of facial that has people whispering "Botox" behind your back. Plus, she has miraculously mastered the fine art of the low-pain waxing. This is one talented professional.