Larry Birkhead

I mean, it probably wasn't the greatest photo.

I remember, like, one of her fingers got cut off.

But at the time, it was like the beginning of, like, digital.

I don't know.

I have to be honest.

I'm glad she was that year because what it did for me was I got my first byline.

And to other people, you know, it was like, okay, whatever.

But to me, it was enough to energize the spark in me to say, hey—

This is something cool that I want to do.

So I kind of parlayed that into trying to get into this big derby party.

It happens every year.

And I would see it on television.

It's the Barnstable Brown Gala.

And it's like a diabetes fundraiser.

And to me, growing up, it was almost like getting a ticket to the Wonka Chocolate Factory.

They show these gates and you don't know what's going on behind it, but everybody's talking about it, but you can't get in.

So I was like, that was the only celebrity stuff that was happening.

Cause when the Derby happens, a lot of the celebrities come in and stuff.

And that's really, if you're going to be an entertainment news, you know, area, that's like where it's at.

So, um, I had called before, you know, to this hostess of this party and ask if I could cover it prior to me getting, um,