Fame: Ain't it a Bitch: Confessions of a Reformed Gossip Columnist (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "Whenever my phone rang at three A.M., somebody was either dead, drunk or wanted to get laid..." (more)
Key Phrases: gossip show, gossip page, New York, Daily News, Long Island (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Whether talking on the phone to LaToya Jackson about Michael, being upbraided by Cindy Crawford at a party, or sharing a joint with jack Nicholson, A.J.s unorthodox methods compelled celebs to call him with tips, and brought heat from his editors. Fame: Aint it a Bitch tells the stories behind the stories about the actors, rock stars, models, moguls, and society bad girls that comprimise Manhattans infamous night life. In nightclubs and in newsrooms, readers are shown the trading, deals, threats and cajoling that are involved in creating a hot gossip column. With the edge and energy that completely captures both the glitter and the gutter of show business, A.J. Benza has the real inside scoop yet again.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Miramax Books; 1st edition (May 2, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786867531
• ISBN-13: 978-0786867530
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,007,445 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Ego trip, May 14, 2001

By A Customer

I bought this book because I thought AJ was interesting the first time I saw him on Howard Sterns E show. Since then AJ has been on Howard a lot and is really repetitive. He's gotten laid a little bit, he has hung around celebritys here and there. Who cares. The book is just AJ feeding his ego. AJ is a sick guy. He is going through his mid life crisis and really wants desperetely to be famous. He tells boring stories about how great he is "Look at me, look who I'm friends with" "Look who I slept with", ect. ect. I expected a lot more outta this book. I did however read it from cover to cover but then I threw it in the trash which I rarely do with a book. I had a couple of friends who were mildly interested in it but I told them I would be wasting there time by giving it to them. Don't buy this book, it is horriable. AJ is a nerd with an inferiority complex who has built up a self worth larger then New York City. Don't buy this book and hopefully he will go away and be by himself.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Fame Ain't It A Bitch: Confessions of a Reformed Gossip Co., July 20, 2001

By	Patti Chucka (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This book was terrible. Before reading this book, I actually enjoyed A.J. on the Howard Stern Show and his show on E. What a disappointment. One thing for sure, A.J. sure does love himself and hasn't grown up. I can understand men enjoying this book because of A.J.'s female accomplishments - most men would get a kick out of this book. For women to enjoy this book - I just don't understand.

The book bascially is A.J.'s personal diary from when he began his career. Unfortunately, the diary consists of personal accomplishments that have nothing to do with his career. For example, how many women he has gone to bed with, how many hearts he has broken, all the clubs he had gone to nightly and the red carpet treatment he received.

The book was boring and though it should have been a quick read - it wasn't - I forced myself to finish it and then I sold it on-line to some poor soul.

Don't waste your money unless your a guy who loves to hear stories about a male's female accomplishments.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't bother, August 29, 2003

By	James E. Bagley "Jim Bagley" (Sanatoga, PA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this book on a reduced for quick sale table for 99 cents. Hard to believe, but I think I overpaid. AJ Benza is a good example of the modern celebrity who is famous without having a talent. For awhile, he filled a niche in the gossip world as the macho gossip columnist. But he had bigger aspirations and left gossip behind and apparently the Peter Principle caught up with him (see my last paragraph).

In AJ's world, image is everything. He acts like a gangster cause he thinks it makes him look cool. He dates super models cause he thinks it makes him look cool. He hangs out at hasbeen producer Robert Evans' house because he thinks it makes him look cool. He even sees being punched out by Chuck Zito as some kind of honor. In the book, AJ also recalls an incident in Paris where he found someone else's credit card and tried to use it in a restaurant after running up a bill of several hundred dollars. That he sees nothing wrong with this says a lot about his complete lack of morality.

Since the book's publishing, AJ had his ultra-boring talk show AJ After Dark on the E! Network canceled after just a couple of episodes. He was also kicked off the Howard Stern radio show for suckerpunching Stuttering John. Not sure what AJ is doing now, but it probably involves receiving food stamps (and from the enclosed photos I would gather that it doesn't involve washing his hair).