Fame Ain't It a Bitch: Confessions of a Reformed Gossip Columnist

By A.J. Benza

A.J. Benza, host of E! Entertainment Television's "Mysteries and Scandals" series takes readers behind the bright lights and velvet ropes for the ultimate inside story on the gossip columnist's trade.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786867531
• ISBN13: 9780786867530
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: Miramax
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.0" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Riding High in April - Shot Down in May - Poor A. J.

This book proves that if a person is at the right place at the right time and kisses the right rear-end, you can become famous. I don't think that A. J. is anymore talented than the next wannabe gossip columnist. He just has the street smarts and where-with-all to accomplish the feat. The book was fairly enjoyable, but not near gossipy enough. He knows some juicy stuff, but is not telling. He is indeed in awe of Bob Evans, Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson and Mickey Rourke. Why they want to be friends with him is the question. He has dated some beautiful women but none of the relationships stuck. There were many hot nights out on the town in New York with his buddy Chico, but not enough description of the places or of the people who were actually there. This book was written too fast and skipped over instances that he kept referring to as "more about that later." And then there was never more about that later! I am feeling sorry for A. J. because what he thinks was a good life in New York was really a very shallow life. I hope he gets a grip on it and does better in L.A. although that's a pretty shallow town as well.

Fame: Ain't It A Great Read

AJ Benza is one of us, the latest generation of the great self-created characters of New York City, and now the world, news, alongside Johnson and Darwen and Yates--up there with Doyle, Breslin, Nachman, Peditto and Dunleavy. Ten years ago, he was doing it at the Daily News, getting the scoops and doing the right thing by his fellow journos. And like a lot of us, as the 90s wore on, he became the character he created, living the stories he covered, taking the names and notes that would add up to a young life lived hard and well enough to be a book someday. Now he's written about it with style, flair, balls, inside information and enough honesty to make it count. A great read.

An excellent read...

This is a very fast-paced read in which AJ Benza lets us behind the curtain of the world of celebrities,publicists,journalists,mobsters,strippers and his wild friends in and around nyc in the 90's...it definitely makes for good reading...what also appealed to me about this book is how in the midst of all this celebrity and scandal you get the sense that AJ never changed from what he is...a regular guy who was given the keys to new york city...interestingly enough somewhere along the way he started liking the people he was covering more than the "keys" he was given...how he got through that also makes for a pretty good story...his writing style is pretty funny too and I found myself laughing at his skew on things...I enjoyed this book...

The Book of the Summer

Find a comfortable lounge chair and a quite place on the beach because you will be there all day reading this book cover to cover. Benza not only takes you behind the velvet ropes of NYC's hottest night spots and parties as he chronicles his days as a New York City gossip columnist but also gives you a glimpse into his electrifying life. A life where he balances on the slim line of journalistic integrity and being a confidante to the "A" list of stars and celebrities with whom he befriends. When most people break into the jet set they pretend to be blaze' and aloof. Benza, on the other hand, remains true to his character and admits to being thrilled and dazzled by the powerful and by the power his pen.Remember to bring your sunglasses because you will be star struck.

Inside The World of Gossip

The life and times of gossip reporter is not something I would ordinarily read, but it sucked me in. What it comes down to is AJ is just an interesting guy. Any man who is an associate of both John Gotti and JFK Jr. is alright in my book. If you are looking for the all the hot celebrity stories that did not get published in the newspaper, you will have to look elsewhere. Instead AJ gives and honest and insightful look into the world of gossip, but mainly delves into his personal experiences. What we see is a man who crosses over the line from reporter to insider. He sits on stories to protect his 'friends'. His column becomes a forum for his own personal agenda. He looks at himself for what he is, and we also get a look into the world that we all want to live. Or on second thought maybe we don't.