David Foster and Katharine McPhee attend the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on Feb. 9, 2020 in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Frazer Harrison/GIKatharine McPhee Foster is standing up for her man. The singer-songwriter defended husband David Foster in an Instagram post Wednesday (Dec. 29), even drawing from a Taylor Swift lyric to make her point.
“I’m sorry but we are not sorry. And for all of you who can’t deal with it maybe this helps,” she captioned a photo of herself in a bright red swimsuit. “I’ve struggled with my weight my whole 20s and 30. I’ve gone up and down 10 times over. Does that make you feel better?”
A day earlier, on Dec. 28, the 12-time Grammy-winning composer had drawn criticism for sharing his appreciation of his wife’s figure in an Instagram post. He had shared a photo of the American Idol alum in a black bikini, her flat belly on display, and captioned it, “what baby!” Backlash on his post included comments calling his caption “uncomfortable antiquated compliments” and “Tone deaf much?” Some also thought the caption was “weird,” as the singer-actress has previously shared her struggle with bulimia, and how she was concerned with body-image issues resurfacing during her pregnancy.
The Country Comfort actress, who competed in season six of The Masked Singer as the Split half of duo Banana Split, gave birth to the couple’s son — their first child together — in February. In her post defending Foster, she added that she didn’t experience any pressure to get back in pre-baby shape, and though she’s found a workout she enjoys, expects that she may gain some weight again.
“BUT people freaking out about what my husband captioned seriously get a life… Stop being so offended by what people post who have zero impact on your life and move on. Maybe you should have more of an attitude of like, let’s say… ‘oh that’s nice he thinks his wife is hot.’ I cannot with this overly sensitive society right now.
She closed by channeling Swift’s “Shake It Off,” writing, “But as Taylor Swift said haters gonna hate [rolling on the floor laughing emoji] byyeeee.”
See the couple’s Instagram posts below:
If you or anyone you know is battling an eating disorder, contact the National Eating Disorders Association for support, resources and treatment options. If you need help immediately, text NEDA to 741741 for free, 24/7 support.
NEWS
Massive Attack have been using their latest live show to challenge American data analytics and software company Palantir, with the band describing the firm's ambitions as "terrifying".
The pioneering trip hop group have woven criticism of the controversial surveillance technology company into their new stage production. During their upcoming performance at Primavera Sound, they plan to deploy "custom-made facial recognition software" capable of "scanning a 75,000-person crowd" and projecting audience members onto giant screens with tongue in cheek labels such as "11 weeks no time off, burnout" and "unfinished books", according to Novara Media.
Speaking with the publication, the visual concept takes direct aim at Palantir, the company established two decades ago by billionaire Peter Thiel. Backed financially by the CIA, the firm counts the US and Israeli militaries, ICE, the FBI and the NHS among its clients.
After unveiling the production in Helsinki, Robert Del Naja told Novara Media that he wanted audiences to better understand how Palantir's reach has expanded from supplying "kill chain tech" reportedly used in Gaza to now having access to the medical records of people across Britain.
"We really need a much wider debate on the suitability of a company like this having such capture of our societal infrastructure," he said. He explained that the criticism is embedded throughout Massive Attack's two hour performance and was developed alongside long time collaborator Adam Curtis and London art collective United Visual Artists.
"One visual element represents how a Palantir Gotham monitoring and ‘decision chain’ interface might look," Del Naja explained. "Using facial recognition technology, it lands on groups and individuals – implying a consequential outcome for a given target."
Novara Media also detailed how Palantir's software can connect information from multiple databases. The outlet reported that ICE allegedly combines the platform with body camera footage, social media data and information gathered through Israeli developed hacking software Paragon to identify protesters involved in resistance to immigration raids.
The publication further claimed that Palantir contributes to Maven, a software platform used by the US military, which has recently faced criticism after being linked to the bombing of a girls' school in Iran.
"I find their declarations, objectives and moral framing pretty terrifying," Del Naja said. "To enable AI systems to map police records, satellite tracked locations, health records and personal financial transactions and place all of that information – for the first time – into the hands of a company with an overt political agenda and social objectives of its own is a huge, potentially irreversible and dangerous overreach."
Another moment in Massive Attack's current live production appears during the closing section of "Girl I Love You", when a quote from Peter Thiel is projected on screen reading: "I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible".
Last year, Massive Attack introduced the satirical "facial recognition" sequence during their concerts and quickly rejected suggestions that genuine data recognition systems were being used on audiences.
"No Massive Attack live show has ever recorded or stored personal data," the group stated. "Only government departments, relevant authorities & approved contractors can access public databases in the UK, & doing so in multiple cities/countries would be impossible."
The band also pointed to the growing use of facial recognition technology across Britain, arguing that authorities are "overreaching almost all other western democracies with their use of public facial recognition … while there is no specific legislation regulating police use of these systems."
The statement arrived shortly after Massive Attack welcomed Kneecap onto the stage during their major show at the OVO Wembley Arena, introducing them as a group "who refused to be silenced for their solidarity with the Palestinian people."
Massive Attack have consistently spoken out in support of Palestine and a range of other progressive causes. More recently, they pledged to boycott Spotify following reports that CEO Daniel Ek had invested heavily "in a company producing military munition drones and AI technology integrated into fighter aircraft."
During their headline appearance at London's LIDO Festival last summer, the band were joined by actor and activist Khalid Abdalla along with Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def. Earlier this year, Del Naja also criticised what he described as a "draconian government" after being arrested while protesting the ban on Palestine Action.
The musician was one of hundreds of demonstrators who gathered in Trafalgar Square on April 11 to oppose the Palestine Action ban. He carried a placard stating "I Oppose Genocide, I Support Palestine Action".
Police removed him from the protest and arrested him on suspicion of expressing support for a proscribed organisation. He later responded with an extensive statement posted to Instagram.
Back in February, the band revealed a small run of European dates for the summer. The tour began on May 27 at Veikkaus Arena in Helsinki before continuing to Dalhalla in Rättvik on May 30.
The Bristol trip hop pioneers have not released new material since the 2020 EP "Eutopia". Their most recent studio album remains 2010's "Heligoland".
Speaking with NME in 2024, Robert Del Naja revealed that the band had "some new music which we've been sitting on for four years". He later shared in November that he hoped to finally release some of that material in 2026.
