Showing posts with label Entertainment News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Entertainment News. Show all posts
Monday, September 2, 2013
Chennai: The long wait for superstar Rajinikanth's 'Kochadaiyaan''s first look is over for millions of the actor's fans.
Soundarya Ashwin, the daughter of superstar who is making her maiden directorial venture, has announced that the first teaser of 'Kochadaiyaan' will be unveiled on Vinayaka Chaturthi, September 9, on her Twitter.
Widely hailed as India’s first 3D performance-capturing flick, Rajinikanth has got the credit of the first Indian star to be captured on motion capture technology.
The trailer was to release earlier at the recent Cannes International Film Festival with Rajinikanth making his first appearance there to promote the movie.
Later, Soundarya clarified to Deccan Chronicle that though she had planned to unveil Kochadaiyaan's trailer at Cannes, she couldn’t make it since the magnum opus trailer was not ready the way she wanted it to be.
While Rajinikanth essays a dual role, Deepika Padukone makes her foray in K’town opposite the 'Enthiran' star. Sarath Kumar, Aadhi, Shobana, Rukmini Vijayakumar, Jackie Shroff and Nassar play key characters.
Soundarya Ashwin, the daughter of superstar who is making her maiden directorial venture, has announced that the first teaser of 'Kochadaiyaan' will be unveiled on Vinayaka Chaturthi, September 9, on her Twitter.
Widely hailed as India’s first 3D performance-capturing flick, Rajinikanth has got the credit of the first Indian star to be captured on motion capture technology.
The trailer was to release earlier at the recent Cannes International Film Festival with Rajinikanth making his first appearance there to promote the movie.
Later, Soundarya clarified to Deccan Chronicle that though she had planned to unveil Kochadaiyaan's trailer at Cannes, she couldn’t make it since the magnum opus trailer was not ready the way she wanted it to be.
While Rajinikanth essays a dual role, Deepika Padukone makes her foray in K’town opposite the 'Enthiran' star. Sarath Kumar, Aadhi, Shobana, Rukmini Vijayakumar, Jackie Shroff and Nassar play key characters.
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| Jessica Simpson posed pregnant and naked on the cover of Elle magazine |
“I will never understand why people give pregnant women such a hard time. We are creating a human life: I think we get every excuse in the world to eat a doughnut! It’s very hurtful, especially when you’re so emotional and going through all of these hormonal changes. I felt for Kim Kardashian — I knew exactly what she was going through. I am just one of those pregnant women who gains a lot of weight. I have my curves. Even trying as hard as I did with Ace, I still gained,” she said.
Simpson wants to get wed to her fiancé Eric soon. “We now have a where and a when. Everybody has just been so anxious for us to get married — including us,” she added.
Coalition leader Tony Abbott roped in two of his daughters to record an election message for the Big Brother housemates, while Prime Minister Kevin Rudd just dropped off a generic campaign DVD.
The Nine Network invited Mr Abbott, Mr Rudd, Greens leader Christine Milne and Clive Palmer, from the Palmer United Party, to make tailor-made campaign messages for the housemates.
Of the political quartet, only the prime minister did not personalise his message to the Big Brother roomies, who have yet to be told the general election is being held on Saturday.
The housemates will be told on Wednesday about the election date and then shown a three-minute DVD from each leader about why they should vote for their respective parties.
Big Brother's executive producer, Alex Mavroidakis, said on Monday he was just grateful the politicians had obliged with DVDs.
Abbott daughters Bridget and Frances say they watch the reality show, he added.
'Of the four videos we received, the only one that is not personalised is Rudd's,' Mavroidakis told AAP.
'We offered everyone a chance but I think Rudd had several pre-made generic messages and he sent one of those.
'We've got a great one from Christine Milne, Clive Palmer and Tony Abbott also saying 'Hello housemates', and Abbott's there with his daughters saying they watch the show.'
Mavroidakis said the production staff worked closely with the Australian Electoral Commission and the housemates' families to ensure the voting process was correct.
This is the first time in the world a Big Brother franchise has had to deal with an election, he said.
'We will endeavour to show the same amount of time on each message, so we won't be showing more of Rudd and less of Abbott or vice versa,' he said.
'We'll play it with a straight bat and we won't be telling them to tell us who they voted for.
'If they feel they want to discuss with each other we will put it to air.'
The housemates will, one at a time, cast their postal votes in the diary room.
Of the political quartet, only the prime minister did not personalise his message to the Big Brother roomies, who have yet to be told the general election is being held on Saturday.
The housemates will be told on Wednesday about the election date and then shown a three-minute DVD from each leader about why they should vote for their respective parties.
Big Brother's executive producer, Alex Mavroidakis, said on Monday he was just grateful the politicians had obliged with DVDs.
Abbott daughters Bridget and Frances say they watch the reality show, he added.
'Of the four videos we received, the only one that is not personalised is Rudd's,' Mavroidakis told AAP.
'We offered everyone a chance but I think Rudd had several pre-made generic messages and he sent one of those.
'We've got a great one from Christine Milne, Clive Palmer and Tony Abbott also saying 'Hello housemates', and Abbott's there with his daughters saying they watch the show.'
Mavroidakis said the production staff worked closely with the Australian Electoral Commission and the housemates' families to ensure the voting process was correct.
This is the first time in the world a Big Brother franchise has had to deal with an election, he said.
'We will endeavour to show the same amount of time on each message, so we won't be showing more of Rudd and less of Abbott or vice versa,' he said.
'We'll play it with a straight bat and we won't be telling them to tell us who they voted for.
'If they feel they want to discuss with each other we will put it to air.'
The housemates will, one at a time, cast their postal votes in the diary room.
After last night’s mixed bag of performances, it is time for The X Factor Australia to shed another act or group with the live results show.The night opened with the top eleven performing a medley of Classic and Thank You with rising pop stars MKTO – with the performance translating much better than last weeks!
Then it was on to Ricki Lee who burst onstage in a 70’s themed rendition of her new single Trouble – with the singer looking glamorous in huge curls and a yellow jumpsuit! The energetic performance featured some questionable dancing, but was kind of cool in a kitsch kind of way!
We were however a little disappointed that she didn’t arrive naked on a horse…
Then after a few nail-biting minutes it is revealed that Cat Vas and Joelle are the ones that have been voted into the bottom two for this week.
But before Cat and Joelle take to the stage to sing for their lives – the ridiculously talented and smooth moving John Newman arrives to perform his hit Love Me Again.
With some pretty slick production (the X Factor has really stepped it up a notch this year huh?) and old school moves, Newman is by far the most entertaining act on the stage thus far!
Then it is down to the show’s older lady singers to battle it out – with Cat Vas kicking things off with a gorgeous rendition of Radiohead’s High And Dry.
Joelle followed up with a heartfelt performance of Ed Sheeran’s Give Me Love – with her song choice shocking Ronan.
With all four judges shaken by the fact that such strong singers were in the bottom two so early on in the comp everyone struggled to make their choice.
Ronan kicked things off by sending Cat home, while a shocked Dannii put her vote behind Joelle. RedFoo obviously backed his girl, sending Cat home – with the vote coming down to Nat Bass. Surprisingly she decided to send Cat home despite feeling that Joelle’s last performance wasn’t up to scratch!
Sunday, September 1, 2013
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The singer’s act was sultry and powerful, shelling out her usual diva personality and teasing the crowd with her fierceness. She demonstrated a rendition of her current Mrs. Carter World Tour that catered to the festival audience perfectly. The visuals, costumes and lighting were almost exactly the same with the exception of her recent hairstyle change
Even though Jay Z was spotted earlier at the festival, the rapper did not make an appearance with his wife – which many were expecting. Instead, Bey rocked the stage for an entire hour and 30 minutes. Gold confetti shot out of stage cannons as The Queen neared the end of her set, but not without doing two more songs. One of which was “I Will Always Love You,” made famous by the late and great Whitney Houston.
Beyonce ended on a high note with “Halo” to a tired but extremely happy crowd.
Saturday, August 31, 2013:
Redlight
Rudimental
Mord Fustang
TJR Porter
Robinson
Wolfgang Gartner
Walk The Moon
Haim
A$AP Rocky
Solange
Public Enemy
2 Chainz
Imagine Dragons
Empire Of The Sun
Phoenix
Deadmau5
Beyoncé (headliner)
Sunday, September 1, 2013:
Jesse Rose
Robert Delong
Alunageorge
GTA
Feed Me
Nero
Jay Rock
Schoolboy Q
AB Soul
Fitz & The Tantrums
The Gaslight Anthem
Emile Sandé
Kendrick
Lamar
Miguel
Wiz Khalifa
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Queens Of The Stone Age
Calvin Harris
Nine Inch Nails (headliner)
Redlight
Rudimental
Mord Fustang
TJR Porter
Robinson
Wolfgang Gartner
Walk The Moon
Haim
A$AP Rocky
Solange
Public Enemy
2 Chainz
Imagine Dragons
Empire Of The Sun
Phoenix
Deadmau5
Beyoncé (headliner)
Sunday, September 1, 2013:
Jesse Rose
Robert Delong
Alunageorge
GTA
Feed Me
Nero
Jay Rock
Schoolboy Q
AB Soul
Fitz & The Tantrums
The Gaslight Anthem
Emile Sandé
Kendrick
Lamar
Miguel
Wiz Khalifa
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Queens Of The Stone Age
Calvin Harris
Nine Inch Nails (headliner)
The former Corrie star turned Loose Women – one of six celebrities taking part in the show with their real-life partners – was joined by new husband Lincoln Townley as she showed off her disco dancing skills to the 70s classic Shake Your Groove Thing.
Ultimately though it was her costume – an eye-straining jumpsuit adorned with 113 photos of her and her other half – which raised the most eyebrows.
‘Denise welch’s jumpsuit….. What was she thinking?’ asked one viewer on Twitter, while another added: ‘Is there nothing Denise Welch won’t do for a few bob?’
While Welch may have divided opinion, the final two couples of the evening – Brian McFadden and girlfriend Vogue Williams, and JLS’s Oritse Williams and other half AJ Azari – stole the show with their routines.
Westlife star McFadden wowed both judges and viewers with his rock’n'roll routine, while thrilled JLS fans took to Twitter to heap praise upon Williams after he rounded the show off with a glitzy tap number.
‘Watching Stepping Out and Oriste and AJ killed it!!’ tweeted one viewer, while another called the routine: ‘Slick, stylish and erm, taptastic.’
The couple made such an impact that their name was still trending long after the programme had ended.
Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen, boxer Carl Froch and Dempsey and Makepeace twosome Glynis Barber and Michael Brandon also took part in the show for the ‘Front Row’ – a judging panel consisting of Mel B, Jason Gardiner and Wayne Sleep.
One of the six couples will leave the competition next Saturday night.
Saturday, August 31, 2013
The former Disney star can be seen in the series of photos flashing her body in a see-through dress, skin tight white pants and crop tops, the New York Daily News reported.
Cyrus' gig, which consisted of some suggestive dance moves with 'Blurred Lines' hit maker Robin Thicke, at the musical event had left the audience in shock.
The 'Hannah Montana' star's manager, Larry Rudolf, had recently revealed that the star and her entourage "couldn't have been happier" with her performance with Thicke.
We have no idea what JGL is saying, but we'd be grinning too if we were standing next to Gaga's pretty-much-naked body. She even does a flirty twirl for the actor before giving him a hug and going back to her seat.
Actress Emma Roberts admits she was star-struck when she first met Jennifer Aniston.
The 22-year-old stars alongside the former Friends actress in new comedy movie We’re The Millers, reported Contactmusic.
“Surreal. When I met her she came up and gave me a big hug. I froze with my arms by my side and just said, ‘Hi, I’m so nervous to meet you’,” she said.
The actress also said she is in awe of Johnny Depp after working with him on 2001’s, Blow.
“At the time I didn’t really know who he was, but now... Oh my God. I have a black and white picture hanging in my house,” she said.
The 22-year-old stars alongside the former Friends actress in new comedy movie We’re The Millers, reported Contactmusic.
The actress also said she is in awe of Johnny Depp after working with him on 2001’s, Blow.
“At the time I didn’t really know who he was, but now... Oh my God. I have a black and white picture hanging in my house,” she said.
Actress Demi Moore is reportedly desperate to see ex-husband Ashton Kutcher’s Jobs.
“Demi’s scared to get caught going to see Ashton at the movies, that’s why she wants to view it in the privacy of her own home. She’s even considered disguising herself and taking the plunge, but knows she’d be so embarrassed if she was caught watching it by anyone,” a source told Showbizspy.
Moore and Kutcher parted ways after six years of marriage when the latter was found cheating on her.
Kutcher is currently dating long-time friend Mila Kunis. “Demi knows there’s no chance of Ashton taking her back, but she just can’t seem to shake her obsession with him,” she added.
Moore and Kutcher parted ways after six years of marriage when the latter was found cheating on her.
Kutcher is currently dating long-time friend Mila Kunis. “Demi knows there’s no chance of Ashton taking her back, but she just can’t seem to shake her obsession with him,” she added.
The rapper's delayed, highly anticipated mixtape may still arrive on Friday night.
Lil Wayne's new mixtape will be a little late to the party.
In a message on YoungMoney.com, the label announced "Dedication 5" had been pushed back for a "short period" for finishing touches and an additional track according to Mack Maine's Twitter account, only by "a few hours."
The DJ Drama-hosted tape had been expected to debut on Friday at 5 p.m. EST. The series' previous installment, "Dedication 4," was released in September 2012 after experiencing its own late-summer delays.
Lil Wayne's new mixtape will be a little late to the party.
In a message on YoungMoney.com, the label announced "Dedication 5" had been pushed back for a "short period" for finishing touches and an additional track according to Mack Maine's Twitter account, only by "a few hours."The DJ Drama-hosted tape had been expected to debut on Friday at 5 p.m. EST. The series' previous installment, "Dedication 4," was released in September 2012 after experiencing its own late-summer delays.
Friday, August 30, 2013
Its' good to have a goal in life, but the one purportedly expressed by a woman in Warsaw, Poland, may be a stretch.Ania Lisewska, 21, is allegedly attempting to travel to every city in the world so she can have sex with at least 1,00,000 men for 20 minutes each.
“I want men from Poland, Europe and all around the world. I love sex, fun and men,“ she said, according to the Austrian Times.
“In Poland the subject of sex is still taboo and anyone who wants to fulfill their sexual fantasies is considered a deviant, a whore or mentally ill.“ The supposed sex marathon allegedly began last month in Warsaw, according to her Facebook page, and she has had sex with 284 men till now.
Former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson will be running in this year’s New York City Marathon. The 46-year-old Barb Wire star is currently in training for the big run after signing up to pound the streets of the Big Apple and raise funds for Sean Penn’s J/P Haitian Relief Organisation, reported E! online.“I’ve never taken on a physical challenge like this but I am willing to do something to show my dedication. It is incomparable to the struggle people (there) face. I didn’t just want to be the kiss at the finish line. I wanted to do more and if I can raise $500,000, it is going to be a blessing to Haiti,” Anderson said.
“I’ve been a supporter of JP from the early stages. In the last few years I have become more involved. If you go to Haiti, you fall in love. It is intoxicating,” she said.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
While Kristen Stewart isn't someone we've been waiting forever to see naked, we don't mind! In the film adaptation of Jack Kerouac's On The Road, directed by Walter Salles, the Twilight star shed her clothes and now we don't have to pay the $12 to see it in theaters.
"It didn't bother me," she said about being naked on screen. "You can do no wrong with [Salles]. He puts so much inside of you. In the four-week rehearsal process, it was okay to ask any question, to bring up any story, to really overanalyze everything and intellectualize everything."
Well, it doesn't actually bother us either, Kristen. Thanks to some creepy guy in the movie theater who pulled out his camera phone and snapped a picture of the hot star to submit to Perez Hilton, the whole world gets to see the 22-year-old without actually seeing the movie.
If you think Kristen Stewart is sexy, you must watch the upcoming movie “On the Road”. Coming out in December, Kristen Stewart will be naked from the very first scene! Also expect a Kristen Stewart threesome and even some drug use sprinkled in. If you’ve read Jack Kerouac’s novel that the movie will be based off of, you know that Kristen Stewart will be expected to do a lot of wild things.
Before this racy role, Kristen Stewart was mostly known for being Bella Swan in “The Twilight Saga”. Other movies the actress has been in include Panic Room, The Messengers, The Runaways and Adventureland. For her work on screen, she has won numerous awards including Teen Choice Awards, MTV Movie Awards and People’s Choice Awards.
“On the Road” will be directed by Walter Salles and Kristen Stewart will star alongside Sam Riley, Garrett Hedlund, Amy Adams, Viggo Mortensen and Kirsten Dunst.
Here is a Kristen Stewart picture of her naked in “On the Road”:
"It didn't bother me," she said about being naked on screen. "You can do no wrong with [Salles]. He puts so much inside of you. In the four-week rehearsal process, it was okay to ask any question, to bring up any story, to really overanalyze everything and intellectualize everything."
Well, it doesn't actually bother us either, Kristen. Thanks to some creepy guy in the movie theater who pulled out his camera phone and snapped a picture of the hot star to submit to Perez Hilton, the whole world gets to see the 22-year-old without actually seeing the movie.
If you think Kristen Stewart is sexy, you must watch the upcoming movie “On the Road”. Coming out in December, Kristen Stewart will be naked from the very first scene! Also expect a Kristen Stewart threesome and even some drug use sprinkled in. If you’ve read Jack Kerouac’s novel that the movie will be based off of, you know that Kristen Stewart will be expected to do a lot of wild things.
Before this racy role, Kristen Stewart was mostly known for being Bella Swan in “The Twilight Saga”. Other movies the actress has been in include Panic Room, The Messengers, The Runaways and Adventureland. For her work on screen, she has won numerous awards including Teen Choice Awards, MTV Movie Awards and People’s Choice Awards.
“On the Road” will be directed by Walter Salles and Kristen Stewart will star alongside Sam Riley, Garrett Hedlund, Amy Adams, Viggo Mortensen and Kirsten Dunst.
Here is a Kristen Stewart picture of her naked in “On the Road”:
Kelly LeBrock recently opened up about her nasty divorce with Steven Seagal, admitting to dark times and isolation.
"When I split with Steven, the divorce was very ugly, and details of the case were on the evening news," LeBrock said in an interview with Daily Mail. "I didn't want my kids seeing it, so I simply got rid of the TV. I moved my kids out of L.A. so they could grow up with real people. The kids of gas pump attendants, plumbers and real family people."
LeBrock, 53, divorced from Seagal in 1996. She was married to the action star for nine years. "I had absolutely no self-esteem," LeBrock said. "I hated myself."
"I became a hermit," LeBrock said. "I feared everything and didn't want to leave the house."
Today, the Woman in Red actress spends most of her time in her one-story farmhouse. She enjoys riding her horse, Kiwi, growing her own vegetables and making her own dairy products, such as cheese and yogurt.
"It's bloody exhausting," LeBrock said. "To work the land full-time keeps me so fit that I haven't worked out in seven years. I clean the pool myself, muck out the pigs and the horses.
LeBrock also participated in a photo shoot with the magazine posing in various outfits with a cowgirl theme serving as the setting.
LeBrock's divorce from Seagal, 61, was actually her second. Her first divorce was from movie producer Victor Drai, who cast her in Woman in Red. She met Seagal a year after her first divorce.
"He spoke fluent Japanese and he could do acupuncture, chiropractics, sang, played guitar and drums and could draw," LeBrock said "There seemed to be nothing he couldn't do. He was an all-round Renaissance man and I was instantly attracted to him."
Currently, LeBrock is working on a memoir and is allegedly preparing herself to return to Hollywood.
"When I split with Steven, the divorce was very ugly, and details of the case were on the evening news," LeBrock said in an interview with Daily Mail. "I didn't want my kids seeing it, so I simply got rid of the TV. I moved my kids out of L.A. so they could grow up with real people. The kids of gas pump attendants, plumbers and real family people."
LeBrock, 53, divorced from Seagal in 1996. She was married to the action star for nine years. "I had absolutely no self-esteem," LeBrock said. "I hated myself."
"I became a hermit," LeBrock said. "I feared everything and didn't want to leave the house."
Today, the Woman in Red actress spends most of her time in her one-story farmhouse. She enjoys riding her horse, Kiwi, growing her own vegetables and making her own dairy products, such as cheese and yogurt.
"It's bloody exhausting," LeBrock said. "To work the land full-time keeps me so fit that I haven't worked out in seven years. I clean the pool myself, muck out the pigs and the horses.
LeBrock also participated in a photo shoot with the magazine posing in various outfits with a cowgirl theme serving as the setting.
LeBrock's divorce from Seagal, 61, was actually her second. Her first divorce was from movie producer Victor Drai, who cast her in Woman in Red. She met Seagal a year after her first divorce.
"He spoke fluent Japanese and he could do acupuncture, chiropractics, sang, played guitar and drums and could draw," LeBrock said "There seemed to be nothing he couldn't do. He was an all-round Renaissance man and I was instantly attracted to him."
Currently, LeBrock is working on a memoir and is allegedly preparing herself to return to Hollywood.
Google has now made the Nexus 4 a whole lot lighter on the pocket for potential buyers. The latest Nexus device is now selling at a $100 less from its earlier official price on Google’s online store. From what can be seen on the Google Play Store right now, the 8GB variant of the Nexus 4 is up for grabs for $199 (Rs 13,380 approx) while the 16GB model will set you back by $249 (Rs 16,750 approx).
There is no official word on a newer Nexus smartphone yet, though earlier reports have hinted at a possible Nexus 5 in the pipeline. While that is still speculation, there is a definite possibility of the current Nexus line-up getting a few updates. The reasons for this assumption are manifold.
The first reason is the considerable inter-player competition that the Android market has. Major smartphone players like Samsung and Sony, among others, have been launching a host of new smartphones into the market this year. And Google itself has released Play editions of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the HTC One. This culminates in the Nexus 4 no longer being the only smartphone in the market with a stock Android experience. Thus the company may be looking for different avenues for the Nexus 4, the first being this considerable price drop.
The company has mentioned that the price drop is applicable only in Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Korea, the US and the UK. The current price of the 16GB variant on the LG Nexus 4 in India still stands at Rs 25,990 on Flipkart. The price drop definitely makes the Nexus 4 a lot more appealing, on paper at least, and it is hoped that the company expands on the number of markets that this offer is being rolled out to.
A quick recap shows that the Nexus 4 sports a 4.7-inch display with a resolution ratio of 1280 x 768. This amounts to a pixel density of 320 ppi. Internally, the smartphone comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro SoC. In terms of photography, the Nexus 4 comes with an 8-megapixel primary camera and a 1.3-megapixel front shooter. Additional features include 8GB of internal storage as well as 2GB of RAM.
The first reason is the considerable inter-player competition that the Android market has. Major smartphone players like Samsung and Sony, among others, have been launching a host of new smartphones into the market this year. And Google itself has released Play editions of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the HTC One. This culminates in the Nexus 4 no longer being the only smartphone in the market with a stock Android experience. Thus the company may be looking for different avenues for the Nexus 4, the first being this considerable price drop.
The company has mentioned that the price drop is applicable only in Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Korea, the US and the UK. The current price of the 16GB variant on the LG Nexus 4 in India still stands at Rs 25,990 on Flipkart. The price drop definitely makes the Nexus 4 a lot more appealing, on paper at least, and it is hoped that the company expands on the number of markets that this offer is being rolled out to.
A quick recap shows that the Nexus 4 sports a 4.7-inch display with a resolution ratio of 1280 x 768. This amounts to a pixel density of 320 ppi. Internally, the smartphone comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro SoC. In terms of photography, the Nexus 4 comes with an 8-megapixel primary camera and a 1.3-megapixel front shooter. Additional features include 8GB of internal storage as well as 2GB of RAM.
Greeted by a press pack rather than prostitutes, the first customer to roll up to Switzerland's sex drive-in on opening night took one lap of the facility before making a hasty exit.
The second car, a family vehicle driven by a man in sunglasses under cloudy evening skies, broke down and needed jump starting in front of a host of photographers, sniggering into their cameras.
Zurich authorities had said they expected a modest start to the country's first so-called "sex boxes", a row of drive-in wooden garages on a looping track where clients in cars can visit prostitutes, shielded from prying eyes and security cameras.
With an estimated annual turnover of around 3.5 billion Swiss francs ($3.79 billion), prostitution has been legal in Switzerland since 1942, with sex workers in Zurich required to have a special permit, health insurance and pay tax.
The number of prostitutes in the Alpine nation has risen sharply over the last decade, due to the decriminalization of procuring and passive solicitation of sex alongside agreements between Switzerland and the European Union on free movement of people.
The sex boxes, which echo similar drive-in systems in the Netherlands and Germany, are being touted as a way to get large numbers of prostitutes and their clients off Switzerland's otherwise pristine streets.
BOXES AND CAMPER VANS
Complete with panic buttons in each shed, showers, a laundry room and on-site health workers, supporters say the system offers relative security to sex workers and privacy to their clients, while reducing the disturbance to locals.
"The existing strips were simply too strained," said Ursula Kocher at Zurich's welfare department.
"The conditions for the women were completely unhygienic and dangerous, they had to work in woods or secluded car parks," Kocher said, standing in front of the boxes.
Only four prostitutes were on site at the start of the evening, but Kocher said she was sure more women would come to the compound, where they would have access to contraceptives, counseling and sexual health checks.
Between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m., men can cruise along the track and choose a prostitute from wooden shelters before parking in one of the nine drive-in boxes.
Though clients must arrive alone in a car, they also have the option of parking and visiting two smaller boxes or one of four camper vans on foot.
Prostitutes at the facility declined to talk to journalists or allow them to take their pictures.
LEGAL PROSTITUTION
Some critics have voiced concern that the novel fascination with the sex boxes, which have cost taxpayers more than 2 million francs to construct, is a distraction from more serious issues about exploitation and human trafficking.
"It would be more revealing to ask: what sort of men buy sexual services of young women on the street?" said Andrea Gisler, president of Zurich's Frauenzentrale women's group, adding the boxes only relocated red light activities to the outskirts of the city.
"The prostitutes and their protection has never come into it," Gisler said.
The conditions for sex workers may be better in countries where prostitution is legal, but a global study showed this year that they also report higher influxes of human trafficking.
One author of the study, Eric Neumayer at the London School of Economics, said the new system in Zurich could aid monitoring of human trafficking.
"If it's a very controlled environment, it should be easier to do checks on where the women come from, if they are there against their will," Neumayer said.
The second car, a family vehicle driven by a man in sunglasses under cloudy evening skies, broke down and needed jump starting in front of a host of photographers, sniggering into their cameras.
With an estimated annual turnover of around 3.5 billion Swiss francs ($3.79 billion), prostitution has been legal in Switzerland since 1942, with sex workers in Zurich required to have a special permit, health insurance and pay tax.
The number of prostitutes in the Alpine nation has risen sharply over the last decade, due to the decriminalization of procuring and passive solicitation of sex alongside agreements between Switzerland and the European Union on free movement of people.
The sex boxes, which echo similar drive-in systems in the Netherlands and Germany, are being touted as a way to get large numbers of prostitutes and their clients off Switzerland's otherwise pristine streets.
BOXES AND CAMPER VANS
Complete with panic buttons in each shed, showers, a laundry room and on-site health workers, supporters say the system offers relative security to sex workers and privacy to their clients, while reducing the disturbance to locals.
"The existing strips were simply too strained," said Ursula Kocher at Zurich's welfare department.
"The conditions for the women were completely unhygienic and dangerous, they had to work in woods or secluded car parks," Kocher said, standing in front of the boxes.
Only four prostitutes were on site at the start of the evening, but Kocher said she was sure more women would come to the compound, where they would have access to contraceptives, counseling and sexual health checks.
Between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m., men can cruise along the track and choose a prostitute from wooden shelters before parking in one of the nine drive-in boxes.
Though clients must arrive alone in a car, they also have the option of parking and visiting two smaller boxes or one of four camper vans on foot.
Prostitutes at the facility declined to talk to journalists or allow them to take their pictures.
LEGAL PROSTITUTION
Some critics have voiced concern that the novel fascination with the sex boxes, which have cost taxpayers more than 2 million francs to construct, is a distraction from more serious issues about exploitation and human trafficking.
"It would be more revealing to ask: what sort of men buy sexual services of young women on the street?" said Andrea Gisler, president of Zurich's Frauenzentrale women's group, adding the boxes only relocated red light activities to the outskirts of the city.
"The prostitutes and their protection has never come into it," Gisler said.
The conditions for sex workers may be better in countries where prostitution is legal, but a global study showed this year that they also report higher influxes of human trafficking.
One author of the study, Eric Neumayer at the London School of Economics, said the new system in Zurich could aid monitoring of human trafficking.
"If it's a very controlled environment, it should be easier to do checks on where the women come from, if they are there against their will," Neumayer said.
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