Gabrielle Union talks Cadillac

Q: "Cadillac Records" is mainly about blues and R&B from the '50s and '60s. How familiar were you with the music?
A: My family played that music in the house. They played Etta James (played by Beyonce in the movie) — we called it the dirty nasty music, this music my parents would slow drag in the kitchen to when they didn't think we were watching. It sounded like hootchy-kootchy music.

Q: You lived in Nebraska until the age of 8, then returned to attend college there. What part of you is the most Cornhusker?
A: What I eat — beef and a lot of potatoes. My parents and grandparents worked in the packing houses, so you were able to take home the parts the white folks didn't want. So there's a lot of stuff my family eats — the hog maw, chitlins.

Q: In the past, you've been outspoken about the lack of good roles for minority actresses. Is that still the case?

A: I think with the economy, now it's sort of worse. You're now competing against white actresses who are now underemployed. Now, when casting agents say please "submit all ethnicities," that used to be code for black, but now it means you're competing against a lot of white actresses, you're fighting for scraps. There's just not enough work.

Q: You've worked with a number of directors, from big-time guys like Michael Bay (on "Bad Boys II") to first-timers. What's your idea of the qualities that make for a good director?

A: The ones who are great directors have planned and prepared and have effective communication skills. The ones I have not enjoyed the experience, generally don't know what they're doing, and have passed off responsibilities to the first assistant director. They may not have gone to film school; maybe they are not passionate anymore. As a person who grew up being an athlete, I'm used to having instructions told to me in a high volume. I don't need to be coddled.

Q: At age 19, you were raped at gunpoint. Since then, you've been a passionate speaker on the topic of violence against women. How did your advocacy come about?

A: I didn't get it until it affected me. I was fearless and ignorant, and then I was raped. It's hard to articulate what a rape survivor goes through, and when I was coming out of that, I was on a TV show where there was a character who was a serial rapist, and I was supposed to be next, and I begged the producers not to let me be raped. Then I did a cover on Savoy magazine, and I said I can talk about something that happened to me that has had a profound effect on women. And since then, I have not stopped talking about it. And whenever I talk about it, I get people who come and say, "Me, too." And my goal is to never hear "Me, too" again.

Q: Why do you think there is so much violence against women?

A: I don't really know. There just tends to be a lack of value placed on women and female children. And you see it across the world (source).

side note: why are we discussing rape in this interview

Beyonce Knowles revealed her hairy arm pits when she waved to shocked fans at Cadillac Records premiere

The glamorous star had apparently forgotten to shave as she walked the red carpet at the New York premiere of her new Etta James biopic Cadillac Records. One horrified onlooker said: "Beyonce always looks her best at these kind of events. She obviously either ran out of razors or just missed a bit in the bathroom." The singer-and-actress - who was joined by her rapper husband Jay-Z at the glitzy event - isn’t the first actress to shock fans with her unkempt pits. In 1999, Julia Roberts revealed her unshaven armpits as she waved to the crowd at the premiere of Notting Hill. Drew Barrymore also stunned onlookers by sporting tufts of hair under her arms at a New York fashion show in 2005. Beyonce recently revealed moviegoers will be "shocked" by the dark undertones of the new film. She said: "I have been saying for a long time now that I wanted to do something dark. This was a scary and dark role. "People are going to be very shocked. It is the complete opposite of me. It was emotionally draining." The 27-year-old star even visited drug rehab clinics to research her role as the substance abusing singer. She added: "I was really afraid. I didn't know what I would see." (source)

side note: you can't be a diva/icon if you don't shave under your arms...daily!