MUSIC He's not an 'Idol,' but Hung sure is popular

His album is expected to debut in the Top 40.
LOS ANGELES TIMES
Will William Hung get the last laugh on the "American Idol" judges who booted the 21-year-old University of California, Berkeley, engineering student off the show in January before he'd finished his off-key version of Ricky Martin's "She Bangs"?
It's looking entirely possible.
Last week alone, the diminutive man with the big grin turned up singing during halftime at a Golden State Warriors NBA game, landed guest shots on NBC's "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" and ABC's "Good Morning America" and saw the release of his Koch International debut album, "Inspiration."
That release appears to be on the way to a Top 40 debut on the national sales chart this week, maybe even Top 30. One industry publication says it's on track to sell 30,000 to 40,000 copies its first week in stores. "In these days of over-slick pop and image-driven PR, there is something to be said for just being yourself. ... A war rages, gas prices soar, lots of things are off-kilter in this world right now. A little 'Inspiration' is in order," said Amazon customer Todd Unthank of Lexington, Ky.
Another shot
Some speculate that more people are laughing at Hung than with him, but there's a sizable following that thinks he deserves another shot at the "A.I." crown.
A petition on www.petitiononline.com shows more than 100,000 e-signatures of people who would like to see Hung return to the Fox show.
"Unlike most contestants on 'American Idol' who scream, deny and are oblivious to their own inept abilities," the petition reads in part, "this guy was genuine, gave it his best, however misguided the effort, and, at the end, took it like a man."
Hung's sincerity appears to be the quality that has elevated him above other contestants ushered off the show in the early stages of competition, and the lesson to be learned would seem to be that talent is far less critical to winning Americans' hearts than honest effort.
"I already gave my best," Hung responded after resident "Idol" sourpuss Simon Cowell told him, "You can't sing, you can't dance, so what are you going to say?" to which Hung added: "I have no regrets at all."
On the album
His album includes his celebrated rendition of "She Bangs" and karaoke-like versions of the Eagles' "Hotel California," Elton John's "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," "Rocket Man" and "Circle of Life" and the Village People's "Y.M.C.A." It also contains audio with Hung's observations on passion, perseverance and being yourself.
"We need someone who is willing to put himself on the line and get rich at the same time," writes another fan from Alabaster, Ala., who posted comments on Amazon.com. "Heck, that's the American dream the last time I checked."