Engineering News
March 01, 2004, Vol. 74, No. 7S

UNLIKELY ROCKSTAR: After his audition appearance on the worst of the worst segment of American Idol, William Hung has gotten a taste of the fame he craved and many opportunities to sing in front of large audiences. A record contract and video might also be in the works.

William Hung gets more than his 15 minutes of fame after landing a record contract

The media is definitely hung up on Hung. When he performed during half time at last week’s Cal men’s volleyball game, camera crews from Fox, Dateline, Extra, Access Hollywood, CBS News, and US Weekly were there.

The buzz around William Hung refuses to die down as Berkeley’s most famous engineering undergraduate signs autographs, hires back-up dancers, and gets millions of hits on his multiple fan Web sites. Now, Hung is considering accepting a $25,000 check for a record contract with Fuse Networks.

In response to the record offer, Hung told The Daily Californian that he appreciated the support but didn’t know if he could balance schoolwork with making an album.

While Hung’s schoolwork forces him to decline many of the interview requests that flood in daily, he can’t resist an invitation to do what he loves most, sing in public.

Hung recently appeared on the Ellen Degeneres show, where he sang three songs and did a duet with Degeneres. He’s also performed at local fraternity parties. Even when he’s not singing, a techno remix of his American Idol audition can often be heard on local radio stations.

Last week Hung was queried on search engine Lycos twice as often as original American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson.
While it boggles the mind that fame could spring from being the worst singer instead of the best, Hung is nonetheless living his dream of being a famous singer.

While some say Hung’s fame is based on a joke, his rampant popularity, coterie of groupies and various marriage proposal are real. Perhaps Hung would say that, if it is a joke, it isn’t on him. It’s on us!

For more go to www.williamhung.net


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