Fresh Loaf

If you’ve ever attended one of the Atlanta City Council’s meetings, you probably know Civil Rights Movement icon and community activist General Larry Platt. In the 1960s, the Atlanta resident rallied with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and participated in the Bloody Sunday march. In 2001, the Georgia General Assembly designated Sept. 4 as Larry Platt Day to recognize the general’s activist work. He’s now a City Hall fixture who can be found stepping up to the mic during public comment to speak out about civil rights (and countless other issues). Recently he’s tried to raise awareness about longtime death row inmate Troy Davis‘ case.

Platt appeared on American Idol last night to sing “Pants on the Ground.” The song (surprise!) urges young people to pull up their pants. His appearance became a topic of conversation on Twitter and quickly became a trending topic.

In two days Platt will most likely be on the Today Show. Next week he’ll probably have a record contract. And then he won’t come to City Council meetings anymore and we’ll be sad. Please, General… don’t forget us. Here’s Platt’s official Web site.

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This photo is from today’s “American Idol” auditions at the Georgia Dome. Robert Peters, 23, from Richmond, Va., planned to sing  “Boss D.J.” by Sublime for his audition. He sang it for me and spoke to me before going in for his try-out.

“My weakest thing in singing is eye contact,” Peters said. “When I sing, I close my eyes when I really need to keep my eyes open and look at the people that I need to look at. My best talent as a singer is hitting the high notes. I like singing songs that have soul, but I think I have a lot to learn. I think soul is feeling. A lot of people can sing loud, but soul is how you feel it, you just gotta feel it, you just gotta feel it. I flew from Richmond, Virginia to try out. I work at a Thai restaurant there. I saved up to come here. I hope to make it to the second round.”

More photos of American Idol contestants

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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T-Boz Watkins

Amount that Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins of TLC owes in back payments on her Gwinnett County home, according to foreclosure docs filed in December: $532,500

Square footage of the home, which is located in Sugarloaf Country Club: 10,000

Amount in back rent owed by NeNe Leakes, one of the “Real Housewives of Atlanta,” and her husband when they were evicted in September: $6,240

Amount that “Real Housewife” Sheree Whitfield is asking for her suburban Atlanta home, which was recently put on the market: $2.8 million

Dollar amount of a check that Whitfield recently bounced: $346.61

Amount that Whitney Houston’s stepmother is seeking from the pop diva after Houston allegedly kept her late father’s $1 million insurance policy — rather than pay off his mortgage: $723,000

Sale price of the home of “American Idol” winner Fantasia Barrino, which was put up for auction after she failed to repay money loaned to her to pay property taxes: $1.1 million

(Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

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