travbowman asked
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 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. 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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