On Saturday, Sept. 21, the Wolfs actor and jewelry designer stepped out at EBMRF's star-studded Rock4EB event, which raises funds for research and to find a cure for the rare skin condition epidermolysis bullosa.
Note the difference between his body language with Courtney Cox above and with Ines below. He's holding Courtney much closer. He isn't dating Courtney.
But Brillstein power manager Andrea Pett-Joseph is not one lacking intel. Her son, 12-year-old Brandon Joseph, has it and thus, his skin is as fragile as a butterfly's wing. (The slightest touch can cause tearing, blistering and bleeding. Growth can be stunted while limbs, including hands, may be disfigured.) Pett-Joseph and husband Paul Joseph started the charity and leaned on friends, family and colleagues to launch the Rock4EB! event. This year, it opened to the media for the first time, a move designed to increase awareness and, eventually, funds for research.
The 4th annual Rock4EB! had all the typical ingredients of a hit
backyard party including great food (D'amore's Pizza, Pink's Hot Dogs,
Little Beach House Malibu and Sprinkles Cupcakes), an A-list guest list
(Brad Pitt, Courteney Cox, Kaley Cuoco, Aaron and Sam Taylor-Johnson,
Rami Malek, Cindy Crawford and Heidi Klum) and a stunning setting
(hilltop Malibu home of Brillstein-Entertainment Partners' Marc
Gurvitz).
It was the music and the cause, however, that elevated this Saturday
afternoon event far above the average Hollywood fundraiser. Hosted this
year by title sponsor Alex & Ani, the Rock4EB! event featured a
relaxed and radiant Sting on stage alongside rocker Chris Cornell, and
the entire package served as a benefit for the Epidermolysis Bullosa
Medical Research Foundation (EBMRF).
The organization is the leading funder of research for the rare and
life threatening skin disease EB, sometimes referred to as "the worst
disease you've never heard of" by those in the know.
But Brillstein power manager Andrea Pett-Joseph is not one
lacking intel. Her son, 12-year-old Brandon Joseph, has it and thus, his
skin is as fragile as a butterfly's wing. (The slightest touch can
cause tearing, blistering and bleeding. Growth can be stunted while
limbs, including hands, may be disfigured.) Pett-Joseph and husband Paul
Joseph started the charity and leaned on friends, family and colleagues
to launch the Rock4EB! event. This year, it opened to the media for the
first time, a move designed to increase awareness and, eventually,
funds for research.
Brad Pitt catches up with Brandon Joseph at the Alex & Ani
hosted Rock4EB! with Sting and Chris Cornell to benefit EBMRF at Marc
Gurvitz's home in Malibu, Calif., on Jan. 14, 2017. (Photo by Randy
Shropshire/Getty Images for EBMRF)
"For a lot of us standing here tonight, we know what it's like to
live with EB and most of the time it sucks. Those moments of pain are
overshadowed by the moments of joy and tonight is one of those moments,"
Pett-Joseph said onstage, flanked by her husband and son. "To quote a
sign in my office: Life may not be the party you hoped for, but while we
are here, let’s dance."
There wasn't a ton of dancing, but there were laughs. Pett-Jospeh
introduced the opening entertainer — Chip Baskets aka Zach Galifianakis.
"Let me be honest, I don't want to be here. This is a no-win situation
for me. I do not want to open for Sting — I am not worth it," he joked,
before announcing that Lee Greenwood would be filling in for Cornell.
Not true, but the crowd seemed to appreciate the inauguration tie-in,
and his brief stand-up routine.
There was plenty of talking too. Longtime advocates of the disease Cox
and Cuoco were keen to help spread the word on behalf of Brandon. It was
Cox (a client of Pett-Joseph's sister Cynthia) who noted the change in
publicity surrounding this year's event. "They've done these events but
we've never had to take pictures or do interviews and that's great, but
it's not actually spreading the word," explained Cox, who was applauded
by Pett-Joseph as a steadfast supporter, integral in the event's
success. "There's nothing that I wouldn't do to support and bring
awareness to that kid."
Cuoco, a client of Pett-Joseph's for 15 years, said she's known Brandon his whole life. "I adore him," she gushed to THR.
"Early on, I had never heard of the disease and couldn't even pronounce
it, but once I found out what it is, what it does to these kids and
what they have to go through, it has now become No. 1 on the priority
list forever. It has to be stopped."
Speaking of cut-offs, Cuoco added that she heard the guest list had
to be closed due to a max amount of RSVPs. "Why you see so many people
here and all these amazing celebrities who come out is because it’s not a
typical event," the actress noted, also adding that the sunny Malibu
day was a gift from the Gods following a week of rain in the area.
"There’s no red carpet and people are here because they want to be here
and they want to help make a change and see this disease to go away.
When you see what it does to a child, you don’t forget it."
Prior to Sting's performance, a video reel showed a clip of a
Stockton, Calif., man in his mid-30s named Paul Martinez. He's been
living with EB since birth and the footage of his daily process to wrap
his blistered body in bandages likely will prove Cuoco's point — when
you see what the disease does, you don't forget. As Martinez made his
way to the stage, he received a standing ovation.
Also likely is how guests will remember Brandon's courage in facing
down the capacity crowd and reading a poem that rhythmically told the
foundation's story. “Our job is not to profit from the dollars that we
raise, but to generate new funding and do good along the way," he read.
"So when you ask, 'What will my dollar do,' and, 'Is it really a big
deal?' We say yes. It all adds up and you are helping wounds to heal."
("Hamilton, you got nothing on this kid," Pett-Joseph joked after his
poetic interlude.)
Then it was Sting and Cornell's turn to entertain the crowd and close
out the evening. The former even brought out his eldest son, Joe Sumner,
at one point in the evening. Sumner was accompanied by his own son, a
2-year-old that caught the attention of Galifianakis during his set. The
comedian jokingly dubbed the tot a "heckler."
On Saturday night, jeweller Alex And Ani and the Epidermolysis Bullosa
Medical Research Foundation hosted the fourth annual ROCK4EB! in Malibu.
MALIBU, CA - JANUARY 14: Alex & Ani host ROCK4EB! with Sting
and Chris Cornell at EBMRF Benefit on January 14, 2017 in Malibu,
California. (Photo by Randy Shropshire/Getty Images for EBMRF)
He's holding what looks like a glass, but it isn't a wine glass with a stem. A reflection of his finger is visible on the side. No visible colored liquid inside the glass. It could be water.
