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<td class="sm">William Hung<BR>
Hong Kong Ricky Martin <BR>
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Feb. 26, 2004The "American Idol" contestants are yet to be whittled down to the final 12, but one contestant already got a record offer ¡ª and he didn't even make it past the first cut. <BR>
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William Hung's try-out, a spirited, if tuneless, rendition of Ricky Martin's "She Bangs," was icily received by the show's three-judge panel.<BR>
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After suffering through Hung's 90-second tryout, during which he shouted the song's chorus and failed miserably at imitating Ricky Martin's gyrations,Hung was interrupted by famously acerbic judge Simon Cowell. "You can't sing, you can't dance, so what do you want me to say?" asked Cowell. <BR>
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"I already gave my best, and I have no regrets at all," Hung replied. His hilarious effort ¡ª as well as his earnest response ¡ª quickly gained him fans. Although he was bounced from the show, the 21-year-old now has a cult following.<BR>
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Soon after his tryout aired on Jan. 27, Hung received about 150 e-mails from resourceful fans who looked him up in a student directory at UC Berkeley, where he is a civil engineering student. The first and most comprehensive of many Web sites spotlighting him, William Hung.net, sprang up and received 4 million hits in the first week.<BR>
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Video files of his performance were uploaded and forwarded all over the Internet, making William the latest in a line of Web cult heroes, not unlike the "Star Wars Kid," the Quebec teenager who filmed himself twirling a golf ball retriever like a light saber. <BR>
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Soon, audio mixes of Hung's singingwas arranged to OutKast's "Hey Ya!" and Howard Dean's infamous "I have a scream" speech. They're played all over the Internet and even have garnered play on some California radio stations. <BR>
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Then came the apex of idolatry: Two weeks ago, Hung was spoofed on Saturday Night Live by Jimmy Fallon. <BR>
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Now, Hung is basking in his goofy international fame: Enter "William Hung" on eBay and you'll get over 50 different items that bear Hung's image, from caps and notebooks to T-shirts ¡ª and people are bidding. His fan base stretches all the way to Asia, where he was invited to perform at the MTV Asia Awards. Don Chin, manager of William Hung.net says his site, which isn't associated with Hung, gets plenty of fan mail and even love letters meant for the singer. The Web site even has a special section called "Marry Me, Will!" <BR>
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By Jesamyn Go<BR>
MSNBC<BR>
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