Charice

BY DAVID HINCKLEY, DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Fortunately, medical science has found no evidence that it’s possible to overdose on musical crescendos. Otherwise, tomorrow night’s “Hitman: David Foster and Friends” special would need a warning sticker.

Foster, a songwriter, producer, pianist and general all-around tent pole of “adult contemporary” music, is featured on PBS‘ “Great Performances” series with a dozen famous artists who have popularized his songs, arrangements and productions.

Virtually all of which, to the delight of Foster fans around the world, feature lush melodies that repeatedly build to swelling peaks, take a step back, then do it all over again.

Filmed on a swank, upscale stage in Vegas, the show should fulfill every fantasy for fans of contemporary adult pop music.

Celine Dion sings “Because You Loved Me.” Peter Cetera of Chicago sings “You’re My Inspiration” and “The Glory of Love.”

We have Michael Bublé, Katharine McPhee and Andrea Bocelli. Brian McKnight comes out with Josh Groban to sing “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”

You get the idea. No musical mountain is left unexplored, no heartstring left lyrically untugged.

Unfortunately, Whitney Houston apparently couldn’t make the show to reprise “I Will Always Love You,” arguably one of Foster’s highest mountains.

But Kevin Costner, Houston’s co-star in “The Bodyguard,” talks about what the whole experience meant to him, and Foster very cleverly gives the song to a newcomer, 16-year-old Charice.

Did we mention that Charice was recently on Oprah’s show and Foster says Oprah personally called him to ask if she could get that slot? Hey, we’re all friends around this table.

Not surprisingly, the spoken patter on the show complements - and compliments - the music. Words like “superstar” and “special” fly around like crashing piano chords.

The show ends with Groban, who does have a distinctive voice, singing in front of a choir whose vocals seem designed to levitate the whole place. The bigger your TV screen and the more powerful your sound system, the higher “David Foster” will take you.

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The Making of  “Hit Man”

Posted by Charified, Submitted by Bay Area Fan