It has been one month and three days since he appalled “American Idol” viewers with his rendition of Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs”–and William Hung is still banging.
By my calculations, his 15 minutes should have been up one month, two days, 23 hours and 45 minutes ago. But there he was again Monday, America’s favorite “Idol” reject in all his tone-deaf singing, bon-bon-shaking glory on “Idol’s” midseason special, “Uncut, Uncensored and Untalented.”
When “American Idol” began airing its auditions in January, my husband and I had a surprising debate about the contestants–surprising because when it comes to reality TV, my husband is about as empathetic as Simon Cowell on his worst day. He has no patience for the shows, much less the people on them. But after a particularly agonizing “Idol” performance one night, he said something that floored me.
“I feel sorry for these people.”
What?
Who are you and what have you done with my husband?
It’s not like these contestants didn’t know what they were getting themselves into, I fired back. It’s not like “American Idol” is a new show or like these saps were forced to make fools of themselves on national TV.
“Their dreams are being crushed.”
Give me a break, I thought. Sure the judges can be harsh, but these contestants got themselves into this, and if they can’t handle a dressing down from the judges, that’s their problem. Besides, if they were serious about pursuing their dreams, there are plenty of other ways to do it that do not involve 26 million viewers. I didn’t feel sorry for these people, and I was convinced William Hung was the perfect example why–or so I thought.
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I missed Hung’s cringe-inducing Jan. 27 performance. When I finally watched it, I was horrified and mesmerized and embarrassed, but I still didn’t feel sorry for him.
Since his performance, Hung has appeared on NBC’s “Dateline” and “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” There are two Web sites devoted to him, and he has been offered a record deal worth $25,000. His performance has been written about in papers across the country, including this one. Heck, he’s probably had more media exposure this past month than Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard combined.
Here’s a guy who seems pretty smart–he’s a civil engineering student at UC Berkley.
He’s obviously savvy–Hung reportedly refused an interview with the Singapore Strait Times, telling them, “My time is money right now.”
And he is now an international cult celebrity with women proclaiming their love to him online.
He just can’t sing.
I wondered if I was being too harsh. Maybe he doesn’t know he’s that bad.
So, I tuned in Monday night in search of proof that Hung was an untalented, fame-hungry “American Idol” wannabe who was milking his fame for all it was worth.
Instead, I watched as the seemingly humble and reserved 21-year-old fielded questions from “Idol” host Ryan Seacrest and audience members, including a cute blond who asked whether he had girlfriend. The audience hooted and hollered when he said no, but Hung kept his mellow demeanor.
The whole thing had a sickeningly patronizing air about it. Seacrest referred to Hung as “the latest American singing sensation” and an elaborate video montage preceded his introduction, ending with the words “He’s Hung.”
When asked about the best part of his success, Hung said it was making more friends.
When a fellow engineering student asked if he did well in his studies, Hung admitted he struggled a bit with the classes.
“I struggle with pretty much everything I do in my life,” he said.
Amazingly, I believed him.
And I felt a twinge of guilt.
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