The William Hung thing is amusing primarily for the public reaction rather than any inherent entertainment value emanating from Willy himself. The "he sucks but don't we admire his spirit and total lack of self-consciousness" ultimately still boils down to "he sucks." What the reaction really is is the public patting itself on the back for being so magnanimous and for rejecting Simon's cold dismissal of Mr. Hung on purely talent grounds. But rudeness aside - let's face it, Simon was right.

Now Hung has a recording career:

"Inspiration," in stores Tuesday, includes "She Bangs," along with another Martin hit, "Shake Your Bon-Bon," and a cover of Elton John's "Rocket Man." There's also a bonus DVD.

Also on Tuesday, Fuse music network will air a half-hour special, "Idol Worship: The William Hung Story," which includes footage of Hung in the studio as he records tracks for "Inspiration."

He'll perform "She Bangs" on NBC's "Tonight" show Thursday and again on the "Today" show Friday, Fuse and Koch Records said.

....Hung said he doesn't intend to stay unpolished.

"Oh yeah, that's going to change, of course. I want to get better," he said. Hung plans to take voice training and dance lessons. [AP]

And therein lies the rub: if he gets less bad then he will just be another singer, his appeal is directly proportional to his ickyness. And rest assured, the evidence from tunes from the album available on his website testify to a still-stratospheric level of incompetence.

But if Hung is serious about trying to get good rather than remaining endearingly enthusiastic, he shouldn't give up on the civil engineering degree. The public is very fickle - we'll see how Inspiration sells after the novelty phase wears off.