I have to admit that although I claim to know a lot about pop culture and entertainment, there are a few things that actually make it past me. I try to keep up with all things entertainment, but let’s be honest, in 2010 there is more than enough material to keep us writers busy for decades to come.

Being that my column only comes out once a week, there are many things that even the “Entertainment Genius” can’t get around to. But better late then never, right?

Over the past month, I have been hearing about the “Pants on the Ground” song. I hadn’t really heard much about the guy who sang it as much as I have heard about his song. Everywhere I go, I hear some type of reference to it. So I decided to look a little deeper into the phenomenon known as “Pants on the Ground.” It seems to have swiftly made its way around the world after General Larry Platt of Atlanta auditioned for this season’s “American Idol.”

The 61-year-old Platt seems to have slipped away from his caretaker and wandered down the road traveled a few years ago by William Hung, who successfully re-butchered Ricky Martin’s hit song “She Bangs” on “American Idol.” Just like Hung, Platt auditioned for the show and joined the group of individuals who wouldn’t stand a snowballs chance of making it onto the competition. However, after also becoming an unplanned phenomenon, he now hopes to capitalize off of his newfound fame.

Hung has made this whole non-talent show thing work for him. He has been featured on such shows as “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” “On Air with Ryan Seacrest,” “Entertainment Tonight” and “The Late Show with David Letterman” just to name a few. If you add the many commercials he has done, he probably has made more TV appearances than most of the “American Idol” winners. To top it off, he received a $25,000 record deal and has recorded three albums. Not bad for the butt of an “American Idol” joke.

So why wouldn’t Platt want to make this thing work for him? I can’t much blame him. I got ideas in my head as I write.

What this proves is that “American Idol” is a real platform for the talented and untalented alike. It doesn’t take real talent to make it big or to be noticed. It takes “GUTS” as well as a little time on one’s hand. If you can manage to get in front of a national camera, you just might be on to something. Can someone say, “I Love New York?”  These days “guts” could be the new talent?  It definitely takes “guts” to believe in yourself and some of the most talented people in the world never get discovered because they don’t have the guts and courage to get out there and “make it happen.”

Although I think Mr. Platt’s fame is a little undeserved, I have to give him credit for even making the attempt to audition for a show that generally chooses individuals who are young enough to be his grandchild. I also give him credit for the message in his song; Lord knows these youngsters need to pull up their pants.

But I “DO NOT” want to turn on my radio to hear “Pants on the Ground” blasting out of my speakers daily. Neither do I want to have to announce it on my radio show either.

Ask Myron:

Q: “What did actor Scott Baio say about Michelle Obama that’s making people send death threats? “


A: Baio, known best for his role as Chachi on the 80’s series “Happy Days,” sent an unflattering picture of the First Lady on his twitter account. It read: “WOW! He wakes up to this every morning?” He had also been tweeting about the recent U.S. Senate race in which Republican Scott Brown won the seat previously held by the late Ted Kennedy, who was a Democrat. Baio now has been tweeting in his own defense stating that he is not racist.

(Myron Mays is a freelance columnist and host of “Myron at Midnite” on WRBO Soul Classics 103.5. Got an entertainment question? Send an email to myron@myronmays.com or catch me on Facebook and Twitter. If your question is printed in the column, I’ll send you a couple of free tickets to the Stax Museum of American Soul Music.)