From Campus Talent Show to Record Deal

No reject has ever made it this big.

Amid cheering fans, eight TV cameras and the Cal men's volleyball team, UC Berkeley civil engineering major turned overnight sensation William Hung was offered a $25,000 recording contract in Haas Pavilion last night, after yet another infamous rendition of "She Bangs."

Weeks after his painful television appearance, the American Idol reject was asked to perform during the halftime show of the Cal men's volleyball game against San Jose State, unaware that record executives and the UC Berkeley administration were planning a surprise of their own.

Surrounded by his own team of six dancers, Hung gave another hip-shaking imitation of Ricky Martin, followed by a standing ovation and a check from a Fuse Networks representative.

Fuse Networks, a year-old TV cable network that plays only music videos, joined together with the New York-based record company that signed Tupac Shakur, Koch Entertainment, to spring the surprise deal on Hung.

The company's record executive flew to Berkeley, along with Fuse Network's president, to present Hung with his check. Fuse hopes to produce Hung's first video.

"Fuse has a renegade underdog sensibility, and we completely embraced William," said Fuse spokesperson Theano Apostolou.

But Hung said he isn't sure if he would be able to balance his education with a record deal, although he plans on titling his album White Dragon if he accepts the recording contract.

"It's great to have all the support from everyone," added Hung, who said his musical influences include Chinese, Japanese and American pop.

Following his lowly start performing in a Clark Kerr Campus talent show, the phenomenon that is William Hung has now appeared at venues ranging from packed fraternity parties to Entertainment Tonight. He performed a duet version of Elton John's "Rocket Man," with Ellen DeGeneres on her daytime talk show, and TV shows ranging from Access Hollywood to Saturday Night Live have produced their own William Hung segments.

Cal men's volleyball team member Jared Levy said he approached Hung to perform for their halftime show as a publicity stunt.

"I just want to get more people at our games, promote the team, William and the university," Levy said.

And it worked. The performance drew camera crews from Fox, Dateline, Extra, Access Hollywood, CBS News, and US Weekly, all calling ahead of time to reserve their spot at the volleyball game.

"We're here to interview to students and the reaction to all the hooplah," said Access Hollywood producer Bryant Huddleston, who flew to Berkeley with his crew and correspondent to film an exclusive for tomorrow night.

As TV networks anxiously scramble to put Hung on air, for some UC Berkeley students the Hung-mania is beginning to fade.

Hung's new fame is based on mockery, said junior Garett Ng.

"They're telling him, ‘Sing "She Bangs,"' Ng said. "The frats are telling him, sing ‘She Bangs.'"

The mockery around Hung seems to resemble typical movie stereotypes of Asian men, Ng added.

"He's being used to perpetuate existing stereotypes about his ethnicity that have already been established in Hollywood," said junior Eugene Kym, adding that most Asian Americans he speaks with share his opinion. "He makes Asians look so stupid."

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