THREE STATE UNIVERSITIES WANT NO PART OF HOGAN ENTOURAGE
  • 04/23/2008 (9:27:23 pm)
  • Mike Informer

….

Three state universities want no part of Hogan entourage

 

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Reality TV star and Hulkamania offspring Brooke Hogan was denied admission to three state universities this week before touring Florida Atlantic University's campus Tuesday.

But it wasn't her grades keeping her out of the schools.

It was her nine-camera entourage filming for the VH1 show "Hogan Knows Best."

Administrators at the University of South Florida, Florida State University and the University of Central Florida said the celebrity hubbub accompanying Hogan's visit would be too much for students during year-end exams.

"Hogan Knows Best" focuses on the family life of professional wrestler Terry Bollea, who became famous in the 1980's as Hulk Hogan.

"The Hogan people approached us but we declined," said Grant Heston, a spokesman for UCF in Orlando. "This is finals week. It's poor timing, and it's a commitment of our resources and time that we can't make right now."

Lucky for FAU, finals don't start until Friday.

The 19-year-old Hogan, an aspiring singer, visited FAU on Tuesday and Wednesday. She had lunch with Student Government President Tony Teixeira in the cafeteria, chatted up sorority and fraternity members, and rode around on two golf carts rented by the show.

FAU spokeswoman Kristine McGrath said just one school employee accompanied Hogan's crew and no additional security was provided.

"The university would not agree to an arrangement that would be disruptive to the academic setting," McGrath said.

Florida International University in Miami also agreed to a Hogan tour, but said it would charge a fee for the staff time needed to arrange the visit. School officials never heard back from Hogan producers. Florida State University has turned away a handful of reality TV programs because officials feared they would be too disruptive.

UCF even shut out Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee when he wanted to do the show "Tommy Lee Goes to College" on its Orlando campus.

Tommy Lee ended up at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

"Our thinking was, if he's not pursuing a serious education, it's not something we'd be interested in," UCF's Heston said.

FAU administrators haven't decided whether Hogan would be allowed to film on campus if she applies and is accepted as a student.

Tags:

Comments are closed.