I just finished listening “kids, wait till you hear this!” by my oh so beloved Liza.
I’m not going to talk about whether the reading voice was enhanced by AI or not. I heard Liza, and I love it. I won’t go into scandals, and I won’t go into Substance Use Disorder—I had my share of that with my Dad.
But I will go into the showbiz stuff… and it breaks my heart to learn how Liza has been stolen from, betrayed by so-called friends, coworkers, financial helpers, and that one husband.
Unfortunately, many of us in showbiz have gone through similar downs and disappointments. I and my family were no exception.
Now, after hearing all this, there are some precise points that really resonate with me—especially since my parents are gone
Quote” Liza:
“I remember a conversation I had with Michael Feinstein in 2021 about the TV biopic of Halston’s life. There was so much about him in the show that was ignored, distorted, or got wrong entirely. For those of us who loved him, Halston’s warmth, generosity, and vulnerability were missing in action. And there was too much sex! I believe things are more powerful on film when implied and left to the viewer’s imagination.
One night, after hearing me complain about this at a dinner party in my home, one of my guests—who was also one of the ‘suits’ in my life—had the gall to ask me, with a pretty good guess of my answer, ‘So, Liza, are you really going to continue letting people make money off your life and get it wrong? Do you want this to keep happening?’
The answer was obvious. I turned to Michael Feinstein and said, ‘It all comes down to me right now. I’ve got to tell my own story and write my own ending. Because nobody else can.’”
”Unquote.
I can really relate to that. With all the books, press, and documentaries that have been made about my mother and family, there is so much about us in these shows that is ignored, distorted, or gotten entirely wrong.
In 1986, Caterina Valente—my mom—released an autobiography, and it made no difference whatsoever for audiences and the media. They just ignored it and continued inventing their own stories about her. The same goes for the dozens of TV documentaries on Italian, French, and especially German television. To me, it’s as if they have created their own wishful image of their star and invented her life according to their own imagination. Reality has no place in their dreamed-up fantasy.
I personally enjoyed Liza’s book, although it did make me sad for all the troubles she had to endure. She really deserved a happier life.
Quoted text: (c)2026 Hodder And Stoughton Ltd.