Hulk's girl slams critics

JAMES BISSON

CANADIAN PRESS

Music critics have delivered a super-sized body slam to Brooke Hogan, but like her famous father, the blond bombshell isn't letting the negativity get to her.

"I'm a hard-head," Hogan said. "I don't really let anything get in my way. I'm the kind of person who wants to fight back and get back up in their face, which I can't do. So I let it roll off my shoulders and move on."

Hogan, the daughter of WWE legend Hulk Hogan, was in Toronto yesterday with her dad as part of a whirlwind jaunt through Canada to promote her debut album, Undiscovered.

The 18-year-old is no stranger to the entertainment world, having spent the last 2 1/2 years on the VH1 reality show Hogan Knows Best.

Though Brooke says she still gets plenty of questions about her father , she's slowly carving her own path. She sang the national anthems at the 2004 Stanley Cup final between Tampa Bay and Calgary. Last month, she became the youngest woman to appear on the cover of lad's magazine FHM.

Still, none of her earlier success could prepare Brooke for the backlash she faced from critics who lambasted her CD, labelling her as a more shrill, less-polished version of Mandy Moore or Jessica Simpson.

"I'd love to invite (the critics) out to lunch and have them get to know the real me," said Hogan. "I think it's childish to judge somebody before you even know them."

Having faced a firestorm or two himself over his 30-year wrestling career, Hulk agreed. "

When your father's Hulk Hogan, people are going to criticize you because your dad's a wrestler," said Hulk.

While Brookeamania isn't exactly running wild — her album has sold fewer than 100,000 copies — the news hasn't been all bad for Brooke, who is also an accomplished pianist and dancer. Her first single, "About Us," has found a home on Billboard's Pop 100 for the past four months.

"I think with Brooke, the fact she plays piano and sings, and because she has that `it' ... she's the sum of all of those parts," said Hulk. "I think she has a really good shot at making it."