Gossip columnist A.J. Benza sells memoir

Former gossip columnist A.J. Benza — who once made headlines for slapping Howard Stern’s sidekick “Stuttering’’ John Melendez, and subsequently getting banned from Stern’s show — has sold a memoir to Simon & Schuster imprint Gallery Books. Called “74 and Sunny,” the book follows Benza growing up in a close-knit, Italian-American family on Long Island in 1974. When Ciro, Benza’s cousin, comes to live with the family, his interests include “curling people’s hair and singing along to Liza Minnelli [rather than] playing football,” according to a proposal. Ultimately, the Benza family realizes “that acceptance triumphs over ignorance.” Steve Troha of Folio Literary Management brought the project to Tricia Boczkowski at Gallery.