by Sunil Singh » Sat Sep 30, 2006 1:44 pm
Born and raised in Tampa, Florida, grew up inspired by the music that filled the Hogan home. "Our household was full of the Isley Brothers, Earth Wind & Fire, disco and Teddy Pendergrass," Brooke remembers. "My mother would play Toni Braxton, Sade, Gloria Estefan and Whitney Houston and I absorbed all of it."
When she was 5, Brooke began studying the piano, later going on to take dance lessons, voice lessons, and cheerleading classes and more. "I wasn't raised with a silver spoon," she admits with a laugh. "I was raised to be resourceful and follow through with everything I set out to do, so that's what I did."
At the age of 10, Brooke took fate -- and the Yellow Pages -- into her own hands as she circled phone numbers and began calling local talent agents. Those calls led to a modeling contract for the budding young star. "I kept telling my parents that I wanted to do this and I begged them to help me," she remembers. "So one day, I slammed the phone book down in front of them and said, 'OK, I don't know how to call these people, but I'm ready.' I think they finally realized I was serious." Here is more about her .