William Hung is now a star

He won the world by losing a slot in the American Idol back in 2004 when he was rejected outright even if his audition piece, a wacky version of Ricky Martin’s She Bangs, was wildly applauded by the followers of the popular talent-search show – all for laughs, you know.

For providing a brief comic relief in the usually suspense-filled and competition-laden show presided over by three "heartless" judges – Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson – William Hung became an overnight sensation. He stole everybody’s heart – except those of the judges – with his innocence and enthusiam, and unflinching determination to land a spot on AI, disregarding the sneers and jeers of the same people who cheered him right on – all for fun, you know.

Did the then Civil Engineering student of University of California Berkeley drift back into anonymity? Guess again. The Hong Kong-born Ricky Martin diehard fan fixed his sight on his own star and did what GMA’s StarStruck, a star-talent search inspired by American Idol, tells every showbiz hopeful – Dream. Believe. Survive. William "she-banged" his way to stardom without looking back – all or nothing at all, you know.

The accidental American Idol is having the last laugh.

Before everybody could recover from belly-aching laughter, William was already at a studio waxing his debut album Inspiration (a more apt title than the original, True Idol), released locally by Universal Records, which carried not just She Bangs but another Ricky Martin hit, Shake Your Bon-Bon, and those by other singers, including Elton John’s Rocket Man, The Village People’s Y.M.C.A., Enrique Iglesias’ Bailamos and Phil Collins’ Two Worlds.

At that time, a few weeks after Inspiration was released, I did a long-distance phone interview with William who was in Dallas, Texas, promoting the album. He even "starred" in a show (as part of American Idol) bluntly titled Uncut, Unwanted, Untalented and he enjoyed it, saying, "It doesn’t matter what people think of me, if some people laugh at me, as long as I’m able to entertain other people. I enjoy singing for the fans."

Why did he "dare" audition for American Idol?

"I was just thinking of giving it a shot," he said.

Yes, he admitted in that interview, he’s a big fan of Ricky Martin whom he found "unique and different" and whose songs are "very catchy," and that the first thing he would tell Martin if they ever crossed paths was, "Thank you, Ricky, for writing great songs."

On the phone, William sounded lovable.

An only child, he said he wasn’t at all spoiled. He studied at an English school in Hong Kong but he said his English "wasn’t great" until he migrated to America with his parents when he was 10. They have been living in Los Angeles for 13 years.

"I’ve always wanted to be a singer. Even when I was in Hong Kong, I sang for fun at the karaoke bars. Cantonese songs, yes, not English songs."

So what has happened to William since then?

Believe it or not but Inspiration peaked at No. 3 in Amazon.com’s sales ranking, with several selections from it reaching the Top 10 of the Apple iTunes download charts. And, brace yourselves, William has released two other albums, Hung for the Holidays in Dec. 2004 and Miracle: Happy Summer from William Hung in July last year.

What’s more, he has appeared on CNN Headlines News, the Today Show and the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and has performed in concerts around Asia and lent his voice to a handful of professional sporting events.

The big news is that William is now a movie star, starring in Where Is Mama’s Boy, an action-musical-comedy set in ancient China which spoofs such landmark movie hits as Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill. In the movie, William plays a wandering singer (in one scene, he does an eye-catching Chinese version of She Bangs), the long-lost son of a music-hall proprietress played by veteran Hong Kong actress Nancy Sit. (He’s also a guest in the season finale of the popular comedy Arrested Development.)

"It’s a dream come true," said the dreamer/believer/survivor. "I love acting as much as I love singing."

Where Is Mama’s Boy will be shown exclusively on Star Chinese Movies on March 4 (Saturday) at 9 p.m., with replays on March 12 at 7:20 p.m., March 16 at 10:40 p.m. and March 28 at 12:05 p.m. Mark those dates on your calendar.

"I think I inspire many people, not only those my age," said William. "I’m thankful that my fans and everybody else are giving me a chance."

The loser is a winner. The dreamer has reached what many people thought was an unreachable star. William let it all hang – and how!

Asked how American Idol has changed his life, the Mama’s Boy said, "It gave me a chance to meet people I wouldn’t have met under ordinary circumstances and to rub elbows with celebrities. It gave me a chance to touch the hearts of many people out there and I love that!"

William Hung has found his place in the sun.

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