Pants on the Ground Viral on You Tube, Idol needed the ratings boost

The American Idol auditions are undoubtedly some of the most entertaining moments on the popular show that is now in its ninth season. There is always one act that draws attention to the show during the auditions and this time it was 62-year-old General Larry Platt who upstaged all the "real" singers on the Atlanta auditions with his "Pants on the Ground" song.

Why did his "Pants on the Ground" song go viral in a video and was this purely a stunt on American Idol's part to attract viewers?

The American Idol rules state the auditions are limited to people who are aged 16 to 28. Larry Platt may not act or look like a 62 year old man, but it's obvious that he's not 28. More power to Larry for getting up on stage to sing his now famous "Pants on the Ground" song but why was he allowed to get on stage when the rules are clearly set to only accept people who are 16 to 28 years old?

Of course, it's a great publicity stunt for American Idol. People will be talking about "Pants on the Ground" for some time. The fact that it's gone viral so quickly is good news for Idol. With Paula Abdul gone and Simon exiting at the end of this season, they need some juice for the show. General Larry Platt was a good move. People love him ... but do they know who he is?

General Larry Platt is civil rights activist in Atlanta. He's not a General, but that nickname was given to him by Reverend Hosea Williams. The State of Georgia designated September 4, 2001 as Larry Platt Day for his "priceless and immeasurable contributions to society" and "his great energy and commitment to equality and the protection of the innocent and for his outstanding service to the Atlanta community and the citizens of Georgia.

So,Larry Platt is more than just a guy singing about Pants on the Ground. Platt was actually a student of Martin Luther King Jr. at one time which makes this "random" American Idol audition not so random. With his audition only days away from Martin Luther King Day, it seems that it was a good plug for American Idol and a good connection to the celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr and his legacy of being a civil rights activist.

See "Pants on the Ground" video here.

Platt's "Pants on the Ground" video has gone viral with over 850K views so far on YouTube and many are making their own renditions of it including Minnesota Vikings Brett Favre doing a horrendous locker room version of the now famous song.

Larry Platt has done much more in his 62 years for civil rights and has served his local community in many ways. However, he may be remembered for his American Idol audition for his song, "Pants on the Ground" due to Idol conveniently not realizing Larry was not in the 16 to 28 year old age range for contestants.

Hopefully he will be remembered for more than just singing about Pants on the Ground but for his contributions to society instead.

Written by Cheryl Phillips
HULIQ.com

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