, E, A3 {' C! G S7 C( |演员健康受损害的案例中最著名的一起是在2004年，三名演员感染上艾滋病毒。这凸现出演员中交叉感染十分严重。+ s) ?6 v. }; o8 _7 x
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但是，电影业坚持说，演员带安全套会扫观众的兴。他们说，观众不愿意看，安全套等于扼杀观众的幻想。( z0 I9 Q. X5 Q6 `
“没什么大不了的”. i M# g X. S! `: d
+ I+ r5 v" Z$ J% z' c- W; m重返《星际迷航》的拍摄现场，我和主要演员之一宝碧·斯塔尔聊了起来。宝碧是大学毕业生，以前是国家级游泳运动员，专业的双簧管手。短短的27年，她的一生真可是阅历丰富。 ) m: K* i# p2 l! X9 X7 b! W% Z0 J' h$ j6 z" K; M$ c4 N2 _" n
宝碧说，改行做色情电影演员，主要是为了追求性探险。她说，“这是找乐趣。身边的人都高高兴兴，你有什么可烦的呢”？* j+ ^0 O. M! V o( L
; u4 s* a) g! k+ v2 C3 t当天，她的日程安排得很紧凑，两句台词，四小时的性爱。星期二试装，然后就去接受每月一次的体检。宝碧每一天都要工作15个小时。 7 N% b3 T1 ^( T - _1 F; z* k+ K s8 h, |我说，“你一定很累吧”？她微笑着回答说，“习惯了”。. l; I! g7 N& x7 A' [7 r1 ^* x& g
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我接着问，“那么，健康风险呢？你经常被感染吗”？ ( R+ V$ Z- n: D; l0 x# S2 b& ?* }8 i9 a+ a$ P& A0 y2 m; E
她说，“也就是染上过一两次衣原体，还有淋病，除此之外，没什么大不了的。我们每个月都体检，得了病，赶紧吃药，然后就又能回去上班了。没问题。” 2 A4 _1 o6 m2 b6 X" @ : z% L) l* a: X @8 E我看，宝碧人很“加州”。进一步说，整个色情电影业都有点“很加州”的意思。有执著的热情、反叛的心态，还有一点点自由主义者反抗压力的顽强。" v$ b, k1 o# E9 w! E: @7 p
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1980年代，官司一直打到高等法院，色情电影在加州才得到了合法化的地位，正式与普通意义上的嫖娼卖淫划清了界限。7 b: D1 p7 e, p/ E5 P7 f5 O
不戴安全套的权利3 m" R) z3 s+ a& W( x
( K: M0 e; a8 B1 K; b制片人说，这对雇员没有任何好处，只会迫使制片公司搬到海外、或者转移到地下去拍片。观众想看的，就一定能看得到。 ) n8 W5 t o( R4 P; l# T9 d1 j: z
宝碧也有同感。事实上，这也正是她开始脱衣服、准备开拍性爱场面之前说的告别词。 # ~: N8 e( J; Y' B8 }8 d, y( w0 K. N' ^" t. j( S0 e- n2 g
我想，我看的已经够多了。我悄悄地离开拍摄现场，重新回到淅淅沥沥的小雨中…….! m! n6 @9 }0 ?8 O5 p
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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 3 R. V7 D6 x) D( R+ u* ^/ }. i
& M9 t& }& Y; H. U+ C' BCalifornia's adult movie business is under pressure - internet piracy and the economic downturn have slashed revenues, while state regulators seem set to win their long battle to make actors wear condoms. 9 w7 {1 x! t$ y% v( L1 y4 ?" Z- ^ # \8 {% s) D: y( } p1 s6 NLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.; v3 X G& s- J% Y+ h
: s. u" p) U& U% l/ U! pI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. ; F0 l. {2 R& J' m4 H" Z, h& U , K. d' t+ F( h! |9 DWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect./ {, L3 c: |* J& |3 _3 [6 [
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The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.4 r6 D- n3 G3 C2 C% e R7 b
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Performers in body-hugging Star Trek outfits, some with prosthetic noses to resemble aliens, wandered around looking slightly bored as a weary crew worried over lighting arrangements. 8 h' f8 r" r& d, f' z7 ^& s$ T |5 h/ P) g$ F L; n! w% O" Y
This morning was devoted to dialogue, I was told, although - as Sam, the film's artistically minded writer-director, explained to me with clear regret - there was not too much of that to be had. . m/ B" a% i, O! G 6 G0 Y+ u) e" j4 A4 cOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. ; x3 a; o+ j( g9 r: k& q$ {( ^- G7 p4 g" q4 |+ c
Fantasy " b& e0 |+ _0 \5 c3 w6 t7 p( m. h% O$ [. i. e4 b
The demands of porn may not allow Sam to be the groundbreaking film-maker he clearly aspires to be, but at least there are films to be made. 5 R. h; I2 V# M0 m( b0 W: E4 w! \9 s0 J1 V0 I+ z3 A/ @+ @
The problem, increasingly, is revenue. 6 ]: h; ^2 b. F7 N: |) d9 C: p. q+ J6 C5 K" }4 \
Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. d4 w+ `; {" l b4 p; @5 b, `" Y8 G, s" ~1 ?% Z8 p
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. + ~0 o& K- b" n / k6 ~+ H6 ]# w4 l2 h" bAnd the economic downturn does not help. # S& K. i7 f4 r9 `: a$ V: ?0 w! @' W, {5 x, `9 |4 l/ Q3 S! h8 y: I
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. " L6 g8 v8 p) s$ ~0 _% \4 l+ B" h) Z1 B; F' D
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. $ o, }, I! s. J8 _ & t) p/ \8 }' |* d6 b% wFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms./ X3 j4 l; r% A' n
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Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. A `- |" t2 X t1 O7 {/ Q; v" u
But the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say.' `0 f! X% e5 s" R4 p
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.8 j# _2 ]* j7 l# j; v7 S! B* |2 n% c
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A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.- g& F7 W$ @1 G- X# p J! X
) B" P7 ~" i% P* u/ \6 F1 q0 sShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. 0 }5 R. J* k# m' O0 H % h3 \. f5 Z5 F1 m"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"7 d0 ^+ v, T3 Q' k4 V: L
3 U) C+ s3 c( J t. F6 qHer packed schedule today involved a couple of lines, then a four-hour sex scene. Then a costume fitting on Tuesday and she was off to have her monthly health test after that.3 ~5 h' q& D/ X! w5 w
7 ? K6 w6 e% C1 M9 rEach day would be 15 hours long.% Q/ c. a7 f! b: e0 |5 S
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"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. 5 N( ^) w; R* I$ d8 C" d, Z _ S9 R# u, r2 C2 ~/ y; W' |
"You get used to it," she smiled. : k0 M$ t& D$ d) G % D# k& ~5 Q( U$ X4 _! J6 A"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"- L/ L n Z$ y. u
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"Well, just chlamydia a couple of times, gonorrhoea - nothing much. Anyway, we test each month so, when you're diagnosed, you just take your medication and you're good to go. No problem." * F6 U- ^5 c9 [- D$ C/ {6 s; t: ]1 k& e* R w' B
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. 4 s- \# h' x' f' }+ A8 v7 }! k8 R, ?6 T1 E$ ?( g# j$ j2 a
Expensive lawsuits * J& x* c9 T0 _ * s# {7 Q9 |6 d: j1 R @/ pIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.3 c% V# o, Y8 |# r. v* w; V
( q+ Y( j: f. g9 C8 }A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. 5 Z& ^ d/ s | 4 F' ?" G) [; A/ X- f% N+ oIt had taken a Supreme Court battle back in the 1980s to make porn legal in California in the first place, formally distinguishing it from common-or-garden prostitution. * n( g( h) o# `' @ - g; ?+ z- b/ gNow, many I met spoke of the right not to wear condoms as a key aspect of their constitutional right to free speech, as set out by the Founding Fathers. 7 a3 V( I" j& z. ^7 G3 Q . F* e7 P' k: S. X4 L3 h"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" ; |2 e, d1 G' G9 @+ t7 u+ R. t$ p% ]4 C! N( h
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.% [) Z8 E" j. s: d. G
* ~! J( u& G. y. [But then I also struggled to picture hordes of Star Trek fans queuing up to see Captain Jean-Luc Picard going hard-core with the crew of the Star Trek Enterprise. So what did I know? ) h1 g$ q$ E; x 7 H P! j# e, V) q1 H1 ~8 Q" a5 ZThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.7 x O% M) G, [ w: _
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It seems likely that porn will eventually lose its battle against the California regulators, not least because - as well as state penalties - the industry could be about to face some very expensive lawsuits brought by former performers. 8 c3 R8 m9 [& c+ z# l- Q/ x, h* c# o
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.1 c% ^9 q6 k& S, S/ ^- q- O; O+ }
& t, z* I( r8 UThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.& k! ^2 q+ G3 o& P* u9 j, i) b
: _3 L' h- @0 KThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.& y* c1 |3 z/ P$ ^( v- B) L
4 c |; b: M# z0 [7 ~1 J: a. SI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. 6 Q! T% D; h0 M. D9 `3 V- k6 I$ j/ n3 B6 N+ R" j- Q 5 W- \) J! |- _2 e4 q: R/ o . C A3 i: f# f, ~( n8 T% A9 ? ( B* a7 s* U; ^2 ]- Y9 d/ D8 HCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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