6 D! b& \8 E/ F" s! h/ M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”? 8 i* r6 V6 Z! O" Q: ~' B- t: X$ S3 L$ u- |1 \; p, ^# T l4 e0 R3 x- T2 E
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。. {/ N8 R; v) J' b6 ?* y8 m( A
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我说,“你一定很累吧”?她微笑着回答说,“习惯了”。 5 T1 e7 T( m; e5 q! x/ x d! w7 |* ~$ w3 n
我接着问,“那么,健康风险呢?你经常被感染吗”?1 M# [# h& S0 J) e) e( z2 E+ I
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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。” * ?- Y4 Q/ R8 L7 X$ P3 [9 K$ C) M# ~5 ? [
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。 6 I) b( ?7 Z# H# B : r5 D$ r! Q8 g( m3 i: ^+ a& f% |( ]% F; n1980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。; a% I( P5 K% z& n) o* T
不戴安全套的权利6 U% J8 Z% x! |1 F }4 i
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现在,我遇到的许多人都说,不戴安全套的权利是宪法赋予的言论自由权利的一个关键部分,正如美国的立国之父指出的那样。 2 c( t3 Q# F; z- a# i$ ]4 X5 t0 c9 d6 W7 J- `/ E6 c3 S. h
一名制片人告诉我,“如果你把我的演员都装在橡胶里面,作为艺术家,我还能怎样表述自我呢”?- U- R8 k* [" h
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我很难想象,法兰克林和杰弗逊起草《第一修正案》的时候,想到过戴不戴安全套的权利。 , d, F% V4 P: @ 8 g% d0 V' [6 t但是,我也很难想象,《星际迷航》的粉丝们排着长队去看皮克船长和“进取号”的船员们真刀真枪地“肉搏”。所以,我算老几呢? * | _3 _7 G2 u$ e' F9 ~' X! }: n$ `5 C& j
但是,当局非常坚决。建筑工人必须戴头盔,矿工必须戴口罩,色情演员也必须有适当的保护。/ @' |5 f: Q: |3 r
* Z/ x1 g& K h" |8 M0 I2 E Q和加州的立法人对阵,色情电影业最终很有可能打败仗。除了罚款,色情电影业也面临着一些前任演员们提出的代价昂贵的法律诉讼。 : H7 m0 Z) i8 ^) Y3 |& w1 P& \: E$ ]% J% E0 F
一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。 , P& U# ?' G: A" [1 ~; A" I3 e0 \8 ]$ G) A
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。+ z" f6 I& v6 N$ w0 L' z" r r
( s) r0 E4 G3 G0 f+ v( W2 N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。 . [1 k/ h! t- J: W9 K' B7 s4 h% F9 Y, I2 ^7 A- X4 n/ \+ Z
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…….2 q7 z# }! a/ F/ i+ H
5 S7 r0 x! H& F$ I * d* t5 ^3 a: S' n2 |4 NCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles ; `4 Y0 w3 D+ x) j t! p- y" a# h6 d* O* [
California'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. ( m6 G' I! [/ d! n: ] 2 \6 R% X2 Z& d2 E$ D1 k* k" RLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.% d2 C" k8 s/ o) _
; W! _- w1 U7 _% |) MI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. 1 _# ?9 l( G5 U * g7 ]' b% d% L% h4 u0 OWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.; O- T% [1 L6 D9 R2 q/ }+ J
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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. 2 t) _/ x, N$ m. [) ]4 Q, Q ! p$ q ?) }- WPerformers 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. + z9 j* Q3 V" X3 \( r$ m) ]" ?' y' x I3 D
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. ) f! Q& y& `3 ^1 ?% y0 G5 A% B% Q4 O9 p- x$ \0 o4 I! b
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.- [+ I3 E( O- D4 ^; O0 }" `" k
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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.8 z+ B8 a7 ~- j' F; K. V
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue." [) k: ^- ]# M
6 L% @0 L2 X g9 f2 ]. ]Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch., L$ D( T' w# H9 ~& H
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DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. + L) e8 _& K: b# }2 @. T* s4 N: E5 b5 W+ R v z) Z0 |
And the economic downturn does not help.9 ^2 r2 u6 r4 k d- n; w
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"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.6 t- A d$ B. P
3 P/ d8 P7 }$ r6 g4 u ^The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.* K* M9 k* c( _# _" g# T
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. ( @+ V) o/ M4 }' L$ X# m+ X$ b4 D! H4 l
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. $ D2 w5 e/ N( A: t" _8 _ , f- Y2 ?7 r& C; iBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say. + u" Z: [& ~" k& ~( E+ Z5 I& t- s3 Y6 A; z. E8 ]
Gonorrhoea/ ^3 {5 E" D$ |# G2 {+ @
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.6 o/ A1 _ Z$ T/ i; |. a9 K
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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.+ }6 \# T" B( M& n; M
: a" C% \2 w( Y' MShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. % W4 | M, o7 f4 C+ }8 H$ X* b: @
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" 7 z k F; v4 ]# u) l/ d5 n/ D) Y* P' ]
Her 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.& ~8 k8 r/ P6 w% w2 ~
: f( l# c1 k% AEach day would be 15 hours long.2 i o$ r( y# d! t+ p0 d
' _- p9 s- B' [; R( q7 v"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. % U% q E+ ~1 M. S; S) \' s ; E z/ ?/ N. L- M8 s+ E"You get used to it," she smiled. 4 t+ N) i0 {* a$ D ?! ~% u) m9 x7 n& h: I
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" " H" B5 }) u! w % b! n2 D% K8 b* w"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." ; i- d2 _/ Y3 g/ i3 A ; ~ ?# d% F d" S: P( BThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. + s0 |% A( d3 d & v# |0 h5 D3 U) g" g8 @Expensive lawsuits $ g# N( i- I/ }% t: ^3 c) P$ y0 w. N0 U1 w M T3 r
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. 9 }) ]+ V6 [5 O, C ) P) W5 p- O s6 |A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.% t6 R1 y1 }' a8 e6 |. y2 q. l0 w; t
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It 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. ) r3 x. w/ k& B1 k& {- w 6 u( ~0 K: F5 ?: `: 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. . ?: P7 c0 ]& o& C( c ' M9 Q* I' V5 u"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" z5 q, X1 M7 p1 R$ t% I6 O4 I M0 J: r& Y6 o
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. 3 c) B4 j$ a7 x" Z4 S4 q' \2 F& \" |$ Z
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?' j& f1 x. o( N6 G0 m
- X9 U$ C; v- \ R: `8 rThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. 7 G. B) X$ ]* i* N" R1 b/ {; e: e: f# W3 E+ p
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. 5 e C( Y* @. u) [3 l; S" g: U& R* r( S
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. - z" x$ K% R+ o% g ( M/ i: l! f& k) E0 Y+ a( ~0 ]The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.3 B9 j3 `( n1 j- q/ c5 q, f
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That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.& M. P6 G" z6 L! E: I) R
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.0 }: m. {( F& C6 ?: h8 B, k
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004