section D
Jan. 27 – Feb. 2, 2010
R
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Reflections
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By Steve Holsey
S
t
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p
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:
‘Pants on the Ground’
o
n
One would have to have been living under
a rock or been in hibernation to not have
u
heard, or at least heard about, “Pants on the th
l
a
Ground,” the song sung by 62-year-old “Gen-
eral” Larry Platt on “American Idol.”
In a humorous way — and we certainly
need humor with so many horrible things
going on in the world — he lambastes
boys and young men who wear their pants
“saggin’,” which means underpants showing.
Platt says repeatedly that they are “lookin’
like a fool with (their) pants on the ground.”
The exaggeration is for maximum comical yet
serious effect.
I get it. But I am one of those people who
believes that people have always overreacted
to saggin’. Even President Barack Obama and
Bill Cosby have expressed their disapproval
publicly.
Kids have
always adopted
clothing styles,
language,
music, etc.,
that are unique
to their gen-
eration. When
they get older,
they will leave
Critically and consistently acclaimed wars in L.A.
it behind. If
actress Regina King has been building a
what they do
loyal fan base since she was first intro-
King: All of our stories are based on
disturbs older
duced to the public as a child in the mid-
real stories, actual events which have
people, all the
1980s in the long-running sitcom “227,”
made the news in the city.
better.
starring Marla Gibbs, Hal Williams and Williams: To what do you credit
Jackée Harry. The show ran from 1985 your enduring career, from “227” to
Now, I am
to 1990. “Southland”?
not promoting
saggin’ pants.
Since that time King has worked in King: I have to give a lot of credit to
It looks really
an array of popular films, each one com- my mom, who decided to send me to a
silly. I saw a
pletely different from the last. She has regular public high school where I ran
boy who was
been widely praised for her versatility track and went to football games. So, I
about 15 years
as well as her formidable acting skills. got to do the normal things that kids
old running for Those films include, in chronologi-
do.
“General” Larry Platt
the bus. With cal order, “Boyz N the Hood,” “Poetic Williams: I noticed that some class-
his right hand he was holding his books, Justice,” “A Thin Line Between Love mates from your graduating class have
and with his left hand he was holding up his and Hate,” “Jerry Maguire,” “Enemy of also fared well in showbiz.
pants. That was a real “Kodak moment.” He the State,” “How Stella Got Her Groove
King: Yeah, (director) Tim Story,
looked ridiculous (and yes, it was funny). Back,” “Ray” (for which she won an
(jazz pianist) Eric Reed...There are defi-
Seeing someone’s underwear is no big deal
NAACP Image Award as Outstanding
nitely some of us out there.
to me. (Not a good thing either!) There are
Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture),
more important things to be concerned about.
“Miss Congeniality 2” and “This Christ-
Williams: How have you managed to
It’s nothing to condemn someone for. (Unless
mas.”
stay so busy?
it’s done in school, church, etc.) Today’s King is currently part of the ensem-
King: Oh, I don’t know. (Chuckles)
sagger will be tomorrow’s non-sagger. And at ble cast of “Southland,” a police drama
Luck, I guess. And by always being
least they are wearing underwear! airing on TNT.
prepared, so that when an opportunity
comes along, I can take it. I think that’s
By the way, Larry Platt was given the title Following is a Q&A conducted by
the short answer.
“General” for his tireless work in the South Kam Williams, whose work is featured
during the Civil Rights Movement. It is ironic in the Michigan Chronicle periodically
Williams: You’ve played the lead-
that today he is known not for that, but for and often in many other publications
ing lady opposite a lot of great actors.
being the “Pants on the Ground guy.” But, of nationwide. — Steve Holsey
Which one was your favorite screen
course, soon his “15 minutes of fame” will be
husband or lover?
By Kam Williams King: I can’t say. Each one had
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
something that made them appealing.
Chris Rock was awesome to talk to and
Kam Williams: Hi, Regina, thanks for
funny at the same time. Eddie Murphy
the time.
was surprisingly different, in a good
way, from what I had anticipated.
Regina King: Oh, thanks for making
the time.
With Will Smith, it was very refresh-
ing to be around someone who’s so ex-
Williams: What interested you in
cited about what he does. I’m sure that
“Southland”?
if he worked for the Sanitation Depart-
Joe Brown Lynn Toler Greg Mathis
King: Well, I was already a fan of
ment, he’d be enthusiastic about how
over.
(writer/producer) Ann Biderman’s work,
he throws out the trash. He fully com-
and when I read the script, I really got
mits to whatever he’s doing.
CONSIDERING how deep the roots of
excited about the prospect of playing a
racism are in the United States, many no-
And Jamie Foxx was like a walking
woman who was complex, not just a one-
table advancements notwithstanding, it is
TV, entertaining all the time.
dimensional character defined by her
amazing that African-American judges are so
children or her husband.
Williams: Is there any question no
popular on television. They have played a key
one ever asks you that you wish some-
role in the ratings bonanzas known as court
What makes Lydia Adams interesting
one would?
TV.
isn’t her children or her husband, but
the fact that she’s successful and driven
Williams: The series just moved from
King: I don’t think so.
Plenty of names come to mind, including
and has a full range of emotions, which
NBC to TNT. Is that shift going to affect
Judge Joe Brown, Judge Lynn Toler, Judge the content or the show’s fairly graphic
Williams: I have a question from Laz
is indicative of most women between the
Glenda Hatchett, Judge Mablean Ephriam tone?
Alonso, another one of your romantic
ages of 35 and 45. So, I thought it would
and, of course, Detroit’s own Judge Greg
co-stars. How can your fans help you?
be cool to represent the sort of women King: No, I don’t think the show
Mathis.
that I know. will necessarily be changing. But
See Regina King Page D-2
Kind of gives new meaning to the old
Williams: Do you see Lydia as reflec-
there might be fewer conversations
Pigmeat Markham vaudeville routine, “Here
tive of a recent trend towards stron-
back and forth between the network
Comes the Judge,” revived in the 1960s on
ger female characters on cop
and the producers about toning it down,
“Laugh-In.”
dramas?
because TNT understood the nature of
RIHANNA obviously doesn’t believe in
the show they picked up.
King: Yes, but the beau- t i f u l
wasting time. She recovered faster from
thing about actresses is that each
Williams: Watching the second sea-
the Chris Brown fiasco than many people
of us can put a dif- ferent spin
son’s premiere episode, I was surprised
expected. Good for her. It is reported that Ri-
on that type of woman.
how realistic the story line was, revolv-
hanna has been dating Matt Kemp, who plays ing around the Latino versus Black gang
pro-baseball with the Los
Angeles Dodgers.
Famed songstress Dar-
lene Love received a nice
compliment from Paul Shaf-
fer, bandleader/musician
from the David Letterman
show. He said, “Musically,
year in and year out, my
most satisfying moment
is the holiday show where
Darlene Love
I get to conduct the great
Darlene Love singing “Christmas (Baby Please
Come Home).’”
Letterman, by the way, should really
lighten up on the attacks on
Jay Leno. There is a hateful-
ness to the jokes. Actually
I have two words for Letter-
man, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy
Kimmel and, to a lesser
extent, Leno: Grow up! I
will not watch any of their
shows until all the foolish-
ness stops, and I don’t think
Randy Jackson I could ever watch Letterman
again, period. But, of course,
See Reflections Page D-2
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