Hung over? No

As our Southwest flight touched down at LAX yesterday, the designated goofy flight attendant (the one who uses that by-now-rote joke about "should there be a drop in cabin pressure, immediately stop screaming...") burst into a chorus of "She Bangs" and the back half of the cabin roared.

Turns out, William Hung was on board.

The attendant called attention to this fact (applause), and then the announcement that "William has three CDs for sale at williamhung.com" (awkward silence).

Afterward, he posed for photos with several passengers. I asked him why he was on my flight. He said he'd been performing at a minor league baseball game the night before in Kansas City, Kansas. He was lugging a shopping bag and looked for all the world like any other Southwest passenger, which is probably why I overlooked him on the way to the loo.

Next stop for him is Austin.  He gets about "three to four" dates a month and demand is not slowing down.  Southwest Airlines ... minor-league baseball ... this seems about right for a celebrity of his stature.  (He's about 5-foot-6, if you're wondering.) It's probably a good life, though I did feel a little sorry for him as people continued to accost him for camera-phone shots while he was trying to pick up his luggage at the carousel and arrange a ride on the phone (not in English). He's not celeb enough that he can have "people" handle his chores. Or he likes to save money. Fame, even the small kind, isn't a job you can hang onto.