He can't sing and can't dance, but HK's Ricky Martin is an instant hit

They're calling him the Hong Kong Ricky Martin, but 21-year-old William Hung isn't letting fame go to his head.

The University of California Berkeley civil engineering student couldn't be more unlike the Latin heartthrob - in looks or musical ability - but that hasn't stopped him becoming an overnight success. All the fuss stems from Hung's two-minute appearance on American Idol, singing the Ricky Martin hit She Bangs, and he admits it is a little overwhelming.

'It's tough to study right now,' Hung, who originally hails from Sha Tin, told the South China Morning Post. 'I get recognised just about everywhere.'

His fame stems not from the greatness of his performance (it had the judges cringing), but from his dignified response to the caustic judge, Simon Cowell, who said: 'You can't sing, you can't dance - what do you want me to say?'

'I already gave my best. I have no regrets at all,' Hung replied.

The sincerity of those 11 words was such a change from the catty, self-important retorts they are used to that the judges were floored, and Hung was an instant hit.