What It Do, Hulk Hogan?

It's been a busy Saturday. Between going out and detailing my car and trying to get business taken care of, I've been back-to-back. But I did take time out to go check out Brooke Hogan at a CD signing she did in Cordova today.

I've enjoyed Brooke's personality ever since I caught on to Hogan Knows Best. Of course I grew up with her dad on TV, ever since Hulk Hogan's Rock N Wrestling premiered on Saturday mornings. There were plenty of fights between me and my young peers between imaginary Hulksters and imaginary Roddy Pipers. Seeing Brooke turn into a young woman, though, has been interesting, especially with the over-protective antics of Hulk in the background.

The crowd who showed up for the signing were a mixed lot. Many of them had heard that Hulk Hogan would be making an appearance, so they were there for him. (I didn't know he'd be there. I just wanted to meet Brooke.) So imagine if you will this dichotomy: a crowd of tweenage girls mixed in with a crowd of much older male wrestling fans. Granted, there was some overlap, and many of them brought their wives with them, but it was quite interesting to see.

One thing was certain: all the fans who were there were excited. At one point, Hulk sneaked out of the back area prior to his signing time so he could visit the restroom. As it turned out, it was the crowd peeing their pants and screaming when they saw him. He did finally get to the restroom and then disappeared again.

Hulk is always looking out for his little girl, so he stipulated that he would only give autographs and take pictures with people who also bought Brooke's CD. Being a fan of both, it was a no-brainer that I would want them both to sign something, so I ended up purchasing Brooke's CD and Hulk's new DVD box set, both of which I will get great enjoyment from. I thought this was a rather shrewd marketing move on their part, though, since one had to purchase her CD in order to get to him.

And purchase they did. The shelf had previously been stocked with hundreds of Brooke's debut CD and Hulk's DVDs. By the end of the two-hour session, the shelf was picked clean.

Brooke is quite an elegant young woman. She's rather tall, but she is drop-dead gorgeous in person. She was kind and gracious to everyone, especially children. There was a "no picture" policy that Jimmy "Mouth of the South" Hart was trying to enforce, but Brooke paid little attention to it, and she never failed to give attention to each child. She really was great with all her fans. I complimented her on the show, mentioned that we'd once been on the same episode of Reality Remix which made her smile a bit, and then she signed my CD. I think I may be in love. I watched her later, as I waited for my film to develop, and if she ever tired of her fans, she didn't show it. She didn't have sunglasses and a fierce demeanor to hide behind like her father, but she stayed so bright and cheerful that she wouldn't have needed it.

Then it was on to the Hulkster. Let me just say right now that Terry Hogan is a massive man. He's tall and stacked. His arms are each literally as big as two of mine together. And his hands are like softball gloves. However intimidating he might be, though, Hulk is genuinely a nice guy. The no-picture rule went out the window right away for him. He would autograph anything and everything, and he really took his time with each fan and made sure they were happy. It was a great experience meeting an action hero from my childhood, and he made sure that I didn't forget it.

After leaving, I popped Brooke's CD into the car stereo. I actually like it, even though I was afraid I might not. It's nothing too earth-shattering, but as the old Bandstand saying goes, you can dance to it. Scott Storch really did a number on this album, and it's one of those light sort of albums that you can bump in your speakers and just groove to. Despite the cover, it's not overly sexualized, but you will be hearing several of these tracks in the dance clubs.

So it's been a fun Saturday, but I'm ready for the really good part: going to a basketball game with my Dad.