BEVERLY HILLS —A. J. Benza is a well known Hollywood gossip columnist who made his name a household name as host of E’s “Hollywood Mysteries and Scandals” and then became an actor, author and most recently appeared on “High Stakes Poker,” “Celebrity Fit Club,” “Gimme My Reality Show” and the CBS mega hit “Numb3rs,” as a reporter no doubt. Benza was born in the Brooklyn, New York town of Bensonhurst. With his rugged Italian good looks and his no nonsense New York City demeanor, Benza went from NYC gossip columnist to Hollywood star with almost warp speed.

Courtesy: A. J. Benza

Once known for receiving 4 a.m. calls from stars like Jack Nicholson to Mickey Rourke, the man now enjoys getting up at such hours to take care of his two beautiful kids. The father and husband of Virginia Folk sat down recently with Canyon News to discuss some of his exciting Hollywood stories and to tell us what is in the talented star’s future. When the Pope of Hollywood and Vine talks, people listen. Here are some of the things we recently discussed.

Q-AJ, I loved you on E’s “Mysteries and Scandals.” It was one of my favorite shows of all time. Who did you do an expose on, that you were most surprised and enlightened to learn so many things about?

A-“My jaw dropped a lot of times. I was shocked to learn that Judy Garland tried in vain to commit suicide some 30 times, sometimes while her kids were at home. I actually got in an argument with the producer of the show that night we were shooting. It was 4 a.m. on Hollywood Boulevard - back when it was nasty - and he wanted the ending to be so soft and understanding. I couldn't do it. I told him I know you idolize her, but this bitch was crazy. You know what kind of Hell you put your kids through with behavior like that? Screw her...let's wrap it up.”

Q-You are a writer and columnist, who is also an author. Your first book was “Fame: Ain't It a Bitch: Confessions of a Reformed Gossip Columnist.” At the time the book came out you were extremely popular and the book a great seller. Will you be writing anymore books in the future about fame and Hollywood?

A-“I am writing a novel right now, hoping to sell it. My agent likes where it's going, so that's a good thing. It's a crazy, but not improbable idea having to do with me and Paris Hilton. Kill me all you want, but I find that little, pretty, rich bitch very attractive and I've got an idea that I think ties into what's happening with a handful seemingly happy celebrities today.”

Q-Many of your fans remember seeing you on “The Howard Stern Show,” but I loved your 2007 appearance as a reporter on "Numb3rs." Do you plan on doing more guest and cameo appearances on television?"

A-“I have a sh--y agent, quite frankly. My work on "Numb3rs" was nothing. I got some licks in me. Didn't you see “Rocky Balboa,’ my man?”

Q-We've all found our niche on You Tube. Thankfully it's a place where people can create and not have to wait for a big budget from a Hollywood studio like MGM or Paramount. Tell us about the series you recently did on You Tube called, “The Real Guys Movie Review.”

A-“The folks behind ‘Real Guys Movie Review’ were pussies who expected 1,000,000 hits immediately. Me and my screen writing partner, Neal Gumpel, just wanted to talk about movies like every regular person talks about the movie they just saw. Movie reviewing isn't rocket science. It's no different than reviewing a popsicle. But when they told us they were letting us go after 15 reviews, I'm happy to say that I told the producer there that the company is s--t and it'll be gone in under a year. I was right. And now the producer is selling real estate.”

Q-Do you love acting or writing the most?

A-“I never watch what I act in, but I continually read whatever I write. So…my biggest high comes from writing.

Q-What is coming up in AJ's life?

A-“Hard to say. The suits at GSN just replaced me with a girl as a co-host on High Stakes Poker, a show I helped co-host to five seasons as a No. 1 show. So now I have to get my writing mojo going again. There are two projects I'm writing one for Kevin Connelly to direct and the other a novel. Whatever happens, I'm a survivor. I'll be alright.”

Q-I know that you have two beautiful kids.

A-“There is NOTHING better in the world than to be able to see my kids every second of every day. Early on, when I had a daughter, I found it hard to write like I like to write [sex, booze, fighting], but now I just said, 'f--k it.' I gotta be who I gotta be for my family to eat and for me to climb out of this writing slump.[Sic]”