Look up Foster or foster in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Foster may refer to:

Places[link]

Australia

• Foster, Victoria

United States

• Foster, California (disambiguation)
  • Foster, San Diego County, California
  • Foster, Siskiyou County, California
• Foster, Indiana
• Foster, Missouri
• Foster, Nebraska
• Foster, Oregon
• Foster, Rhode Island
• Foster, Wisconsin (disambiguation)
  • Foster, Clark County, Wisconsin, a town
  • Foster, Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, an unincorporated community
• Foster City, California

Islands[link]

• Foster Island (disambiguation)

Fiction[link]

• Foster (film), an upcoming British film based on the short film of the same name
• Ellen Foster, 1987 novel by American author Kaye Gibbons
• Foster, one of the YTV Fuzzpaws
• Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, animated television series
• Rita Foster, character in the film Cypher
• Robert Foster, protagonist character in the adventure game Beneath a Steel Sky

Other uses[link]

• Foster (surname)
• Foster, to take care of:
  • Foster care
  • Fosterage
• Foster (CTA), elevated transit station in Evanston, Illinois, USA
• Foster, Rastrick and Company, British steam locomotive manufacturer
• Foster's Group, Australian beer producer
  • Foster's Lager
• Foster's rule (island rule), principle in evolutionary biology
• William Foster & Co., British agricultural machinery company
• Foster Mill, in Cambridge, England
• Foster Brooks American Actor, the lovable lush
• Foster and Partners An architectural firm.
• Foster the dog in General Hospital Characters
• Foster the People, an American rock band named after its lead singer Mark Foster

See also[link]

• Fosters (disambiguation)
• Forster (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

"Pumped Up Kicks" is a song by American indie pop band Foster the People. It was released as the group's debut single in September 2010, and the following year was included on their EP Foster the People and their debut album Torches. "Pumped Up Kicks" became the group's breakthrough hit and was one of the most popular songs of 2011. The song was written and recorded by frontman Mark Foster while he was working as a commercial jingle writer. Contrasting with the upbeat musical composition, the lyrics describe the homicidal thoughts of a troubled youth.

The track received considerable attention after it was posted online in 2010 as a free download, and it helped the group garner a multi-album record deal with Columbia Records imprint Startime International before they had issued a commercial release. The song became both a crossover hit and a sleeper hit in 2011, as it received significant airplay on modern rock and contemporary hit radio stations. The song spent eight consecutive weeks at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States, making it the first Billboard Alternative Songs number-one single to crack the U.S. top 5 since Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody" in 2009. The song was widely praised by critics, and it has been licensed for use in a wide range of popular media since its release. "Pumped Up Kicks" received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

Recording[link]

Soon after Mark Foster formed Foster the People in 2009, he wrote and recorded "Pumped Up Kicks" in five hours while working as a commercial jingle writer at Mophonics in Los Angeles.^[1][2] Thinking that he was just recording a demo, he played all of the instruments on the song. Ultimately, Foster's original version of the song is what ended up being released.^[3]

Composition and inspiration[link]

The lyrics to "Pumped Up Kicks" are written from the perspective of a troubled and delusional youth with homicidal thoughts.^[3] The lines in the chorus warn potential victims to "outrun my gun" and that they "better run, better run, faster than my bullet". Foster said, "I was trying to get inside the head of an isolated, psychotic kid."^[3] He wrote the lyrics in order to "bring awareness" to the issue of gun violence amongst youth, which he feels is an epidemic perpetuated by "lack of family, lack of love, and isolation".^[5][6] The song's title refers to shoes that the narrator's peers wear as a status symbol.^[7] The issue of youth violence is a matter close to the group. Foster was bullied in high school, while bassist Cubbie Fink has a cousin who survived the Columbine High School massacre in 1999. Fink said of his cousin's experience, "She was actually in the library when everything went down, so I actually flew out to be with her the day after it happened and experienced the trauma surrounding it and saw how affected she was by it. She is as close as a sister, so obviously, it affected me deeply. So to be able to have a song to create a platform to talk about this stuff has been good for us."^[4]

Contrasting with the dark lyrics of the song, the music, which was written first, is upbeat. Foster said, "It's a 'fuck you' song to the hipsters in a way—but it's a song the hipsters are going to want to dance to."^[3] Jeffery Berg of Frontier Psychiatrist said, "I was so engrossed with the cheery melody of its chorus that it took me a few listens to discover that the lyrics suggest dark, Columbine revenge."^[8]

Due to the opening lyrics, "Robert's got a quick hand," many have speculated that the song is a reference to Robert Hawkins, perpetrator of Omaha's Westroads Mall shooting. The band's publicist refutes this with "This is completely false. The character name in the song is just a coincidence."^[9] For play on the television channels MTV and MTVu, the words "gun" and "bullet" were removed from the song's chorus.^[10] Foster believes many have misinterpreted the song's meaning, and he has written letters to his record label and called radio stations to complain. He explained, "The song is not about condoning violence at all. It's the complete opposite. The song is an amazing platform to have a conversation with your kids about something that shouldn't be ignored, to talk about it in a loving way."^[2]

Release and promotion[link]

Initial attention[link]

"Pumped Up Kicks" was written by Mark Foster (pictured) while he was working as a jingle writer. Initially posted on his website as a free download, the song grew in popularity through viral outlets and earned the band a record deal.

"Pumped Up Kicks" drew considerable attention online after Foster posted the song on his website as a free download in early 2010; Nylon magazine used the track in an online advertising campaign,^[11] and through various blogs, it went viral.^[12] Foster the People first performed the song live at the Stand Up Charity Benefit in Venice in February.^[13] The group, yet to be signed, reached additional audiences with performances at the South by Southwest music festival in March 2010.^[14] Foster was emailed by many people about the song, and needing professional guidance, he contacted artist manager Brent Kredel at Monotone, Inc., saying, "Everyone is calling me and emailing me—what do I do? Who are the good guys, who are the bad guys?" Kredel recalled that "He went from the guy who couldn't get a hold of anyone to being the guy who had hundreds of emails in his inbox." Kredel and Brett Williams were subsequently hired to co-manage Foster the People, and they helped the group get a multi-album record deal with Columbia Records imprint Startime International in May 2010.^[11]

"Pumped Up Kicks" was licensed for use in a July 2010 episode of the TV series Entourage, the first of many instances in which Foster the People's music was licensed in popular media.^[11] Wishing to release a record that would back up the song's success, the group wrote new material between July–September 2010.^[11] The song received its first widespread radio play in July 2010 on Sirius XM's Alt Nation channel and the Australian radio station Triple J.^[15] The song was released as their debut single on September 14, 2010.^{[citation needed]} In November, the University of Maryland's radio station WMUC played the song, marking its debut on US terrestrial radio.^[16] The song placed at number 32 in the Triple J's Hottest 100 for 2010,^[17] a big achievement due to the band being relatively unknown in Australia. Still, the group was inexperienced as a live act, and as a result, their booking agent Tom Windish secured them several club shows "to help them get their sea legs." Foster the People promoted these concerts in January 2011 by emailing fans who had downloaded "Pumped Up Kicks" from their website, notifying them of the shows. The group continued to grow its fanbase with a month-long residency of concerts in January at The Echo nightclub in Los Angeles. By the group's third show at the venue, according to Windish, "there were hundreds of people trying to get in outside... It was an obvious turning point that could be measured in numbers." The residency also drew the attention of music supervisors in attendance who would later help the group license their music.^[11]

Commercial breakthrough[link]

In January 2011, the band issued their first commercial non-single release, a self-titled EP on which "Pumped Up Kicks" appeared. Around the same time, many alternative radio stations began playing "Pumped Up Kicks", including Los Angeles terrestrial stations KROQ-FM and KYSR, and it continued to gain popularity on Alt Nation.^[11] Mark Foster credits Sirius XM's airplay with the song's success, saying, "Alt Nation played our music before any other radio outlet in the country."^[18] On January 29, the song debuted on Billboard's Rock Songs chart and a week later, it debuted on the Alternative Songs chart. In May, the track debuted at number 96 on the Billboard Hot 100, and later that month, the group released their first full-length studio album, Torches, on which "Pumped Up Kicks" appears.^[11] On May 23, 2011, BBC Radio 1 DJ Greg James selected the song as his Record of the Week, which ran until May 27. During this time, James released an accompanying video of him dancing to the song which he entitled and promoted "The Bum Dance".^[19]

The song proved to be a crossover hit, peaking at number three on the Rock Songs chart in July and number one on the Alternative Songs chart in June, while breaking into the top 40 of the Hot 100 in late July and appearing on the Adult Top 40 and Mainstream Top 40 charts. Columbia senior VP of promotion Lee Leipsner said, "It was one of the only alternative bands I remember in a while that you could actually dance to. And the fact that the record has a groove and rhythmic feel to it—not heavy guitar-based at all—gave us a wide opportunity to cross the record." He credits the song's crossover success and push into the top 40 to a June presentation of new music by Clear Channel president of national programming platforms Tom Poleman. According to Leipsner, "After we showed our presentation, we had so many Clear Channel major-market programmers come up to us and say, 'The record I want to play besides Adele is Foster the People.'" "Pumped Up Kicks" peaked at number three on the Hot 100, spending eight consecutive weeks at the position.^[11] It has been certified 3× platinum in the US, Canada,^[20][21] and Australia,^[22] while receiving a gold certification in Germany.^[23] The song ranked as the sixth-best-selling digital song of 2011, selling 3.61 million copies.^[24]

Music video[link]

The music video, directed by Josef Geiger, was filmed at multiple locations in Los Angeles with insert footage from San Francisco^{[citation needed]} and features the band playing a show. There are also cuts to band members doing other activities, such as playing frisbee and surfing. The video peaked at #21 on the MuchMusic Countdown in Canada.^[25] The video has received over 83 million views on YouTube.^[2]

Reception[link]

Critical reaction[link]

"Pumped Up Kicks" received positive reviews from critics. Barry Walters of Spin said that with the song as their debut single, Foster the People "announce themselves as major players".^[26] Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone described the song as having a "slinky groove, misty guitar flange and delicious astral-wimp vocals".^[27] Rob Webb of NME drew some parallels between the song and other indie pop hits like "Young Folks", "Paris", and "Kids" describing its rise in popularity as thus: "artist writes (undeniably brilliant) pop song, makes it catchy as hell, but quirky enough for the 'cool' crowd, song subsequently gets some big pimping from every blog/radio station/Hype Machine user on the planet and, seemingly overnight, becomes utterly, irritatingly inescapable."^[28] August Brown of the Los Angeles Times called it a "reputation-making single" that "cakes Foster in Strokes-y vocal distortion atop a loping synth bass".^[29] Jon Pareles of The New York Times called it a "pop ditty with dazed, dweeby vocals and a handclapping chorus that warns, 'You better run, better run, outrun my gun'".^[30] BBC Music's Mark Beaumont called the song a "psychedelic block party skipping tune". Reflecting on the song's fusion of various musical elements, Beaumont said the song is a prime example of how they "adapt Animal Collective's art-tronic adventurousness to incorporate the funky danceability of Scissor Sisters, the fuzzy pop catchiness of 'Kids' and the knack of throwing in deceptively downbeat twists akin to Girls, Sleigh Bells or Smith Westerns".^[31] Matt Collar of Allmusic said the song, like other tracks from the album, is "catchy, electro-lite dance-pop that fits nicely next to such contemporaries as MGMT and Phoenix".^[32] The Guardian's Michael Hann was less receptive, saying it "amounts to little more than a bassline and a chorus" and that "It's as irresistible as it is infuriating".^[33]

Accolades[link]

A Rolling Stone readers poll named it the second-best song of summer 2011.^[34] Claire Suddath of Time magazine named "Pumped Up Kicks" one of the Top 10 Songs of 2011.^[35] In end-of-year polls, writers for Rolling Stone selected "Pumped Up Kicks" as the 11th-best song of 2011,^[36] while the publication's readers voted it the year's sixth-best song.^[37] A listeners poll by Toronto radio station CFNY-FM (102.1 The Edge) voted it #1 in a list of the top 102 new rock songs of 2011.^[38] Entertainment Weekly selected the song as the second-best single of 2011.^[39] NME ranked it number 21 on its list of the "50 Best Tracks of 2011", writing, "Unusually for a song so omnipresent, listening to its hyper-upbeat melodies about a psycho high-school kid-killer is still an enjoyable experience."^[40] The magazine's readers voted "Pumped Up Kicks" the year's eighth-best song.^[41] At the end of 2011, the song received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.^[42]

Impact[link]

In an article for The Huffington Post, DJ Louie XIV singled out "Pumped Up Kicks" as one of several popular songs that helped usher in the return of commercially successful indie music. In discussing the growing acceptance of fringe cultures, he wrote, "It seems only fitting, then, that the soundtrack to this time period should be music that was itself once viewed as fringe culture."^[43] Reflecting on the song's success, Gary Trust, the associate director of charts/radio for Billboard, said, "They're walking a tightrope very well in terms of eras, formats and styles. When you mix all that together, it becomes a very good recipe for a hit that works on so many levels. It's the perfect song." Foster said of the song, "There's a spirit there and that's what people resonate with. 'Pumped Up Kicks' wasn't an accident."^[2]

Use in popular media[link]

The song was used in TV series such as Entourage,^[44] Gossip Girl, CSI:NY, Cougar Town, Homeland, Warehouse 13 and The Vampire Diaries and also in the 2011 films Friends with Benefits^[11] and Fright Night, as well as sampled in Shawn Chrystopher's song "All the Other Kids", from his 2010 hip-hop album You, and Only You. The whistling part of the song is part of the rotation of bumper music played on the Michael Medved syndicated radio program. The song is also used on the BBC programme Match of the Day. On October 8, 2011, Foster the People performed the song on Saturday Night Live. The song was also used in Australian beer XXXX's "XXXX Summer Bright Lager" television commercial.^[45]

Cover versions and remixes[link]

The official remix of the single was released by New York City-duo The Knocks in April 2011, under the name "Pumped Up Kicks (The Knocks Speeding Bullet Remix)", and was made available to subscribers to the band's email list. The song was covered by Weezer during their 2011 North American Tour, at the Orange County Fair on August 4, 2011. Weezer also played the song during their grandstand performance at the Minnesota State Fair on September 3, 2011.^[46] Mark Foster said in reaction, "Nine years ago, I met Rivers Cuomo at a party, and I had my acoustic guitar with me. He taught me how to play 'Say It Ain't So'. So nine years later, to watch him play one of my songs - it was wild. I can't wait to meet him and remind him of that story."^[47]

In 2011, The Kooks covered song in BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge.^[48] Australian musician Owl Eyes performed a version of "Pumped Up Kicks" for Triple J's Like a Version. In the Triple J Hottest 100, 2011, Owl Eyes' version came in at 28, four positions higher than the original did the previous year. Singer-songwriters Dani Shay and Justin Chase covered the song in a theatrical music video October 2011^[49] and released the single in November 2011.^[50] A parody of the song was performed by Taylor Swift and Zac Efron on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, as a serenade to the host. Its lyrics were about how they felt weird when Ellen used to put them as a couple when they were not.^[51] On March 12, 2012 singers Lex Land and Charlotte Sometimes performed the song during the second "Battle Round" episode of The Voice.^[52]

Track listing[link]

Charts[link]

Release history[link]

See also[link]

• List of number-one Billboard Alternative Songs of 2011
• List of number-one dance airplay hits of 2011 (U.S.)
• List of number-one singles of 2012 (Australia)

References[link]

External links[link]

• "Pumped Up Kicks" Official music video on YouTube

David Foster
Foster speaking during a ceremony for Andrea Bocelli at the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in 2010.
Background information
Birth name	David Walter Foster
Born	(1949-11-01) November 1, 1949 (age 62) Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Genres	Pop, pop rock, Classical, Gospel, R&B
Occupations	Music executive, Record producer, musician, composer, songwriter, arranger
Instruments	Piano, keyboards, French horn, synthesizer
Years active	1971–present
Labels	Verve Records Reprise, 143, Atlantic
Associated acts	Skylark, Attitudes, Airplay, Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks
Website	Official website

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2012)

David Walter Foster, OC, OBC (born November 1, 1949), is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, and arranger,^[1] noted for discovering singers such as Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, and Charice Pempengco; and for producing some of the most successful artists in the world, such as Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Céline Dion, Andrea Bocelli, Toni Braxton, Madonna, Air Supply and Michael Jackson. Foster has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. David Foster is the current Chairman of Verve Music Group. ^[2]

Career[link]

Throughout his career, he has produced recordings for a wide range of musical artists, including Bryan Adams, Tamia, Christina Aguilera, The Bee Gees, Andrea Bocelli, Boz Scaggs, Mariah Carey, Toni Braxton, Chicago, Destiny's Child, Neil Diamond, Céline Dion, Earth Wind and Fire, Gloria Estefan, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Chaka Khan, Beyonce Knowles, Kenny Loggins, Madonna, Olivia Newton-John, Nsync, All-4-One, Plus One, Charice Pempengco, Prince, LeAnn Rimes, Kenny Rogers, Barbra Streisand, Donna Summer, Shania Twain, Hall & Oates, Tim Feehan, The Tubes, and Jackie Evancho.

Foster was a keyboardist for the pop group Skylark, discovered by Eirik Wangberg. The band's song, "Wildflower", was a top ten hit in 1973. Together with Jay Graydon he formed the band Airplay, whose album of the same name is often labeled the most important within the Westcoast AOR genre. He produced debut albums for The Corrs,^[3] Michael Bublé,^[4] Renee Olstead and Josh Groban, which were released under his own record label, 143 Records, and distributed through Warner Music.

In 1985, Rolling Stone magazine named Foster the "master of ... bombastic pop kitsch."^[5] That year, Foster composed the score for the film St. Elmo's Fire,^[6] including the instrumental "Love Theme from St. Elmo's Fire", which hit No. 15 on the US pop charts. Another song from the film, "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)", recorded by John Parr hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on September 7, 1985. The following years, Foster continued turning out occasional film scores, including the Michael J. Fox comedy The Secret of My Success and the Jodie Foster-Mark Harmon film Stealing Home, both of which spawned soundtrack albums with prominent Foster-penned contributions. He collaborated with then-wife Linda Thompson on the song "I Have Nothing", sung by Whitney Houston in the 1992 film The Bodyguard; the couple also appeared in the film's Oscars scene as the Oscar conductor and an Academy member. They were nominated for a Grammy Award and an Academy Award for Best Song for the song.^{[citation needed]}

In 1995 Foster signed a deal with Warner Brothers that enabled him to set up his own boutique label, 143 Records, as a joint venture with Warner.^[7] Foster gave the responsibility for running the label to then manager Brian Avnet.^[7] One of the label's first signing was a then-little known Irish folk-rock band, The Corrs, for whom he produced their debut album.^[7] By 1997, Foster had come to the realisation that, in the American market at least, "logo labels" like 143 were in a "bad spot" and as a result Foster sold the label back to Warner and became senior vice-president at the corporation.^[7]

Foster, along with Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, composed "The Power of the Dream" as the official song of the 1996 Summer Olympics, with then-wife Thompson providing the lyrics (sung by Céline Dion). He also composed "Winter Games", the theme song for 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta. "Winter Games" is the soundtrack for a fountain show at the Bellagio resort in Las Vegas as well as a fountain show at Sea World Orlando and the awards ceremonies at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. Also in 2001, he collaborated with Lara Fabian and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra to record the Canadian national anthem, "O Canada", for an English language version, a French version, and a bilingual (French/English) version, for a promotion of the Canadian government. Foster, with his then-wife Thompson, composed "Light the Fire Within", which was sung by LeAnn Rimes for the 2002 Winter Olympics. In 2003, Foster won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Music and Lyrics for The Concert for World Children's Day. His song, "I Will Be There With You" (sung with Katharine McPhee), is being used by Japan Airlines to promote the introduction of new aircraft to its US flights.

The 2001 movie, The Score, starring Robert De Niro and Marlon Brando has a Diana Krall recording, "I'll Make It Up As I Go". This song accompanies the film's ending Credits (Chapter 12) and was composed by David Foster (together with his daughter Amy Foster-Gilles), and was used in the film courtesy of the Verve Music Group.^[8] In 2005, Foster, his daughter Amy Foster-Gillies, and Knowles wrote "Stand Up For Love" as the anthem to the World Children's Day, an annual worldwide event to raise awareness and funds for children causes. Over the past three years, more than $50 million has been raised to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities and other children's organizations. Destiny's Child lent their voices and support as global ambassadors for the 2005 program.^{[citation needed]}

In 2009 it was revealed that Foster had worked with songwriter Diane Warren to produce records for Whitney Houston's upcoming album. It was then announced that her comeback single would be the Foster-produced "I Didn't Know My Own Strength".^[9]

On December 15, 2011 it was confirmed that Foster would become the Chairman of Verve Music Group.^{[citation needed]}

Television appearances[link]

In early 1992, the national television station RCTI, Foster came to Indonesia for the TV show David Foster's Twilight Orchestra. In early 2001, Foster was in Popstars, a reality series that aired on WB. The series aimed at coming up with the next girl group and eventually became Eden's Crush (featuring Nicole Scherzinger). Foster and Linda Thompson wrote and produced several songs on their album. His home life was featured in a Fox staged^[10] reality TV show, The Princes of Malibu, in which he attempted to force his spoiled stepsons, Brandon and Brody Jenner (the children of Thompson and Olympian Bruce Jenner), to straighten their lives up and earn their own way.^{[citation needed]}

In late April 2005, he appeared as a special guest on both American Idol (as a mentor) and Nashville Star (as a judge) two weeks apart. He was also a judge on Celebrity Duets, a FOX TV show, and appeared on Star Tomorrow, where auditions were held in Los Angeles and New York for undiscovered talent. It aired only one (July 31, 2006) episode on NBC.^{[citation needed]}

In July 2006, Foster made a brief appearance on The View as Star Jones's vocal coach. In August 2006, he was the musical director for JCPenney Jam's "The Concert For American Kids", which aired on CBS and was later released in CD/DVD format. In November 2007, Foster appeared in Oprah's annual "Favourite Things" episode, performing with Josh Groban. In September 2008, singer Charice joined Foster on The Oprah Winfrey Show with Celine Dion via satellite; and later on October 31, he and Andrea Bocelli appeared on Oprah again together, where he stated that Bocelli was his "favourite singer on the planet".^[11]

In December 2008, Foster was featured in a PBS special titled Hit Man: David Foster & Friends, a concert featuring live performances by Foster and numerous other performers.^[12] Foster was also featured in Under the Desert Sky in 2006, Vivere Live in Tuscany in 2007, the My Christmas Special, in 2009, and Live In Central Park, in 2011, Andrea Bocelli's four latest PBS Specials. Bocelli also performed during Foster's Hit Man special.

In late 2009, he also appeared on a number of TV shows to promote Bocelli's My Christmas album, which he produced, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Dr. Phil, The Early Show and Fox & Friends. He also made a number of appearances in 2010 with Filipino singer Charice, to promote her album.^{[citation needed]}

Foster also has appeared in Nederlandse Hollywood Vrouwen. (Season 1 & 2 (2011/2011)Aired by NET 5, Netherlands) The Dutch reality series follows his wife Yolanda and three other woman.^{[citation needed]}

In April 2012 rumors about his wife becoming a cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills appeared on E News. ^[13]

Personal life[link]

Foster has been married four times, has five biological daughters and six grandchildren. His first marriage was to singer/writer B.J. Cook, who already had a daughter, Tamre Winger, whom he raised. Cook and Foster had one daughter together, Amy Foster (b. July 29, 1973), a songwriter.

Foster's second wife was model Rebecca Dyer; they had three daughters: Sara Foster (b. August 24, 1981), Erin Foster (b. August 24, 1983), and Jordan Foster (b. September 1986).^[14]

He married his third wife, Linda Thompson, on June 27, 1991. The two became a songwriting team, collaborating on several songs including "I Have Nothing" performed by Whitney Houston in The Bodyguard, and "Grown-Up Christmas List". Thompson filed for divorce on July 11, 2005, the day after her short-lived reality series, The Princes of Malibu, premiered.^[14]

Foster married model Yolanda Hadid in Beverly Hills on November 11, 2011 in a star-studded 11/11/11-themed ceremony.^[15]

Foster's sister, producer Jaymes Foster, is the mother of Clay Aiken's son Parker Foster Aiken.^[16] A cousin, Billy Foster, died in a race car accident in 1967.

In 1992, Foster was driving on the Pacific Coast Highway when his car struck actor/dancer Ben Vereen, who had crashed his car and was in a daze. Despite being thrown 90 feet, Vereen survived. Vereen went on the record to state that it probably saved his life as he had had a serious drinking problem caused by the death of his daughter.^[17]

Discography[link]

In addition to the numerous albums he has produced, the following are Foster's own solo or band works:^{[citation needed]}

• 1972: Skylark (self-titled)
• 1974: 2 Skylark
• 1976: Attitudes (self-titled)
• 1977: Good News Attitudes
• 1980: Airplay (self-titled)
• 1983: The Best of Me
• 1986: David Foster (self-titled)
• 1988: The Symphony Sessions
• 1989: Time Passing
• 1990: River of Love
• 1991: Rechordings
• 1993: The Christmas Album
• 1994: Love Lights The World
• 2008: Hit Man: David Foster & Friends
• 2011: Hit Man Returns: David Foster & Friends

Singles[link]

• 1985: "Love Theme From St. Elmo's Fire (For Just a Moment)" (US #15)
• 1986: "The Best of Me" (Duet with Olivia Newton-John) (US #80)
• 1988: "Winter Games (Can't You Feel It)" - Official theme song for the Calgary 1988 Winter Olympics (US #85)
• 2001: O Canada (with Lara Fabian)
• 2003: Teko’s Theme - with Nita Whitaker

Compilations[link]

• 1992: A Touch Of David Foster
• 2000: The Best Of Me: A Collection of David Foster’s Greatest Works
• 2002: Love Stories
• 2010: The Magic of David Foster & Friends

Awards and Honours[link]

In 1995, Foster received the Order of British Columbia, the highest honour awarded in his native province of British Columbia. Foster became an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2006.^[18]

Foster has won 16 Grammy Awards, including three Producer of the Year award and has been nominated a total of 47 times.^[19]

He has been nominated three times for an Academy Award for Best Original Song and won the 1999 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for the song "The Prayer" (sung by Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion) from the film Quest for Camelot. He has been named BMI's "Songwriter of the Year".^[20]

In June 2010, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.^[21]

See also[link]

• List of songs by David Foster
• Music of Canada
• Canadian Music Hall of Fame
• List of Canadian composers

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• David Foster; Pablo F. Fenjves (6 October 2009). Hitman: Forty Years Making Music, Topping the Charts, and Winning Grammys. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4391-4950-8. http://books.google.com/books?id=6vJQwZCIVbkC&pg=PP1. 

External links[link]

• Official website
• David Foster at Yahoo! Movies
• David Foster on The Hour

Marcus Albert Foster (March 31, 1923 – November 6, 1973) was a respected African-American educator who gained a national reputation for educational excellence while serving as principal of Simon Gratz High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as Associate Superintendent of Schools in Philadelphia, and as the first black Superintendent of the Oakland Unified School District in Oakland, California.^[1] Foster was murdered in 1973 by members of the Symbionese Liberation Army.

Early life and education[link]

He was born in Athens, Georgia, later attending public schools in Philadelphia.^[1] He graduated from Cheyney State College and earned a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania.^[1] He was also a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

Career[link]

From 1957 to 1970 he taught, was a school principal and associate superintendent for community relations.^[1] He moved to Oakland in 1970.^[1]

Murder[link]

Foster was murdered in 1973 by members of the Symbionese Liberation Army. The SLA claimed they killed Foster because of his alleged support of a plan to create a student identification card system in Oakland that proponents claimed would help keep non-student drug-dealers off campus. In reality, Foster had opposed the identification cards and had worked to water down the plan. The SLA also objected to police officers in the schools, but again they were mistaken as to Foster's position; Foster had stated that he would not allow police officers in the schools. Foster was shot eight times with bullets that had been dipped in cyanide. His deputy, Robert Blackburn, was also shot, but survived. Joseph Remiro and Russ Little were sentenced to life in prison for their role in the attack. Little was later released on appeal.^[2] SLA leader Donald DeFreeze is suspected of being the other person present who shot Blackburn.^[3]

Foster is buried in Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland. He was survived by his widow, Albertine Ramseur Foster, who died in 2011^[4] and was buried alongside him, and his daughter, Rev. Marsha Foster Boyd, PhD, President of Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit, Michigan.^[5]

Honours and tributes[link]

Before his death, Foster received a highly prestigious award for the person who had done the most for Philadelphia. After his death, several sites were named in his honor, including the athletic fields at Gratz High School, the Student Union building at Cheyney University, and the Marcus Foster Indoor Pool in Philadelphia^[6] featured in the movie Pride. The School District of Philadelphia established the Marcus A. Foster Award, which is given annually to a School District administrator for noteworthy contributions in curriculum, instruction, school improvement or administration.^[7]

The Oakland portion of the state-mandated program to retrofit all schools for earthquake safety in the 1970s, during which dozens of schools were either retrofitted or demolished and rebuilt, was named the Marcus Foster Earthquake Safe program.

The Marcus A. Foster Educational Institute was founded by and later renamed in honor of Foster. In conjunction with Oakland-area business, the Institute awards 60 yearly scholarships ranging from $1000 to $2000 to Oakland high school students. Over 1,500 students have received these scholarships. The institute also regularly awards up to $2000 to Oakland public schools teachers who develop innovative educational projects.^[8]

References[link]

Sources[link]

• Find A Grave

External links[link]

• Marcus A. Foster Educational Institute

v t e Symbionese Liberation Army Founding members Donald DeFreeze Angela Atwood Patricia Soltysik Camilla Hall Nancy Ling Perry Emily Harris Later members Patty Hearst Wendy Yoshimura Kathleen Soliah Victims Marcus Foster Myrna Opsahl

Foster Brooks (May 11, 1912 – December 20, 2001) was an American actor and comedian most famous for his portrayal of a lovable drunken man in nightclub performances and television programs.

Biography[link]

Foster Brooks was born in Louisville, Kentucky^[1] on May 11, 1912. He was one of eight sons. His career started in radio, most notably with station WHAS (AM) in Louisville. Brooks was a staff announcer, but his deep baritone voice was well-suited for singing as well. Brooks gained some measure of fame for his reporting of the Ohio River flood of 1937, where he was featured on emergency broadcasts by WHAS and also WSM (AM) out of Nashville, Tennessee. In 1952, Brooks appeared on local television in a short-lived spoof of Gene Autry and his "Singing Cowboys." He later worked in local broadcasting as a radio and TV personality in Buffalo and Rochester, New York before moving to the west coast to launch a career as a standup comic and character actor.

On the syndicated Steve Allen Show of the 1960s, Allen introduced Brooks as an important movie producer. Brooks stumbled on stage doing his drunk act, fooling some of the other guests. Brooks claimed to be the executive in charge of editing movies for television. His biggest success, he said, was the famous movie The Three Commandments. His character also claimed to have invented the concept of removing clips from the movies and inserting commercials.

Singer Perry Como discovered Brooks at a golf tournament in North Carolina^[2] in 1969, giving the comedian his major break.^[3] Como chose Brooks to open for him, and when a manager balked at the newcomer, Como refused to perform. The manager acquiesced, and Brooks was an instant hit.

Brooks regularly appeared on The Dean Martin Show television program in the 1970s (for which he garnered an Emmy nomination in 1974) as well as many situation comedies, talk shows, and a few films. Although he had only one basic signature character, he exhibited such extraordinary timing and subtlety that he was instantly recognized as one of the great comic performers of the time.^{[citation needed]} His signature routine was the basis of a hit comedy album entitled Foster Brooks, The Lovable Lush, released in the early 1970s. As his "Lovable Lush" character, Brooks usually portrayed a conventioneer who had had a few too many drinks — not falling-down drunk, but inebriated enough that he would mix up his words to comedic delight.

Brooks is most affectionately remembered for his stellar appearances on the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts. His comedy routines as the lovable, but hilarious, drunk, were a testament to the art of comedy without the need for profanity or any other excessive blue humor.

Brooks drew upon his own battles with alcohol for his act. However, during his period of greatest fame, Brooks rarely drank.^[4] Of giving up drinking to win a bet in 1964, Brooks said, "A fellow made me a $10 bet I couldn't quit, and I haven't had a drink since. At the time I needed the $10."^[4] He would occasionally make cameo appearances in which his character was perfectly sober, such as his appearance in a 1968 episode of Adam-12 playing a straight-laced citizen who tries to get out of a parking ticket by dropping the name of an officer senior to the main characters.

In character, Brooks asked Dean Martin to join his group “Alcoholics Unanimous,” a play on Alcoholics Anonymous. He boasted he and Martin were charter members of the DUI Hall of Fame.

Brooks slurs to Martin, "his close friends are members of the CHP and LAPD" for his large number of DUI tickets.

Brooks appeared in the 1977 Johnny Cash television special, A Concert: Behind Prison Walls, where he portrayed himself as a drunken man and also sang the song "Half as Much".

Public sensibilities had changed regarding alcoholics and public drunkenness by the 1980s, so Brooks moved away from his drunk character. He had a recurring role as Mr. Sternhagen, Mindy's boss on Mork & Mindy. For many years, his name was a moniker on a Louisville celebrity golf tournament benefiting Kosair Charities.

Brooks's brother, Tom, was a well-known entertainer in Louisville for many years. Tom Brooks played "Cactus," a hayseed character and sidekick to Randy Atcher on T-Bar-V Ranch and Hayloft Hoedown, two popular local shows and was an off-screen announcer on WHAS-TV for many years in the 1950s and 1960s.

Years later Brooks was referred to on the Cartoon Network television show Space Ghost Coast to Coast (episode 45, "Switcheroo II"). He was featured in a scene that was cut before being aired, but the scene was later included on the Space Ghost Coast to Coast volume 3 DVD release.^[5] He is also referenced on an episode of Get a Life called "Paperboy 2000". On the March 1, 2010 episode of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart referred to Senator Sheldon Whitehouse's mispronunciation of a constituent's name by saying, "It's not supposed to end on a Foster Brooks hiccup."

Foster Brooks is referenced in the 2011 game Deus Ex: Human Revolution; an internal email gained through hacking is sent to a Foster Brooks referencing a "Another Year Sober" meeting.

Brooks died on December 20, 2001, at his home in Encino, California from heart failure. He was 89.^[6]

See also[link]

Biography portal

• List of people from Louisville, Kentucky

References[link]

External links[link]

• Foster Brooks, Comedian Known for His Tipsy Persona, dies at 89
• Foster Brooks at the Internet Movie Database
• Kentucky Archivist: WHAS collection at Berea College
• This Is True: Foster Brooks
• Foster Brooks at Find a Grave
• Performing on Dean Martin show video clip