9 ^5 O. W2 Q. i* C; P+ Y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。” # h; x+ U" {3 I7 f" ^, S) m 5 Q0 l4 I5 ~9 Y! }+ M- b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。 / L; @- V x% k' Q# |' ~, Y/ J3 j& a6 z! V( n
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。 . ^, e! V* O( }" i不戴安全套的权利' C/ {& m, a( T% s0 C j! C
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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。# H Q$ W9 A$ A9 u
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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”?. w, ^: e7 b% K6 p
1 `6 m' q' e0 W2 C5 Q" a e+ f& b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。 & ?. C" D9 \4 B- Y: h' ?+ B! ?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? - T6 q- H7 f' x " ^& T S& k, u6 P) \5 \ X8 u v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。/ e4 x4 G: u. D7 B2 h0 E; B; A) X
' q# Z. Q( h: v" M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。 s+ l6 B! ?. s6 ?( p8 p8 w. A F# E7 R
一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。4 h, ?) [+ ~1 Q, X2 R+ g
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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。# n$ K# q( `1 h) h; [
4 ]+ z; M7 W& A# }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。' o, ?. i9 L3 M: i$ c+ O L
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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……. x+ S% p* y2 r3 a; o# r5 ^, F8 f3 m+ u- `
: @' A- X3 M# W& {! jCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles k* r0 t6 e( ?: y& @2 x7 H4 ?
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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.* V$ s' D L6 l4 f7 D
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Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.% f1 r' z+ c! N/ w& B
7 Q6 C( d5 v+ _7 L5 z) Q; NI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. % I: r9 e9 x8 f+ _% i& y ' c5 |$ _$ w1 f% R/ @What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. + y& j1 U4 @+ {6 l8 q% P" L6 D" B9 q' L4 I
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 `' k" W2 a: {9 G0 e6 K2 T- W0 b5 @7 M, W" d6 |
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.5 r4 m# `; F1 U" x
& i+ q* @' }: z- Z3 ]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.$ a2 L* |" V0 g; H3 \3 C& v
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Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.; C4 H+ ^# w) Y8 |/ W) ^# e* ?
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Fantasy . X* L+ |3 I; p' \1 j; s" k \. P! G+ U, h& @( Y2 {
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./ x. l+ |8 L5 x9 Z
: |0 z+ y6 m' |: n' C! q1 C; @The problem, increasingly, is revenue.4 g2 V" Q. R5 v! S: r
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Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch., g1 m% @& `0 N, N
' B( J0 |7 \& P7 K- r# {/ KDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.) M" m8 N* F3 X9 N4 W3 g
, g+ p8 }. ~( l0 Z5 s tAnd the economic downturn does not help. ' X# l9 [& O' J* j ' B% ~% Z8 m" ^: F0 ~. z/ G- N: K4 y"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. 3 M. j, j% A: G4 H8 D" d; g / f* E7 Q$ w% {6 sThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.0 N! W' N0 X' F
+ `' B/ ^* a: lFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.$ S+ ^7 Q% V$ {
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Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. & a [* e- q1 n: ?6 N& i/ Z 2 A# r6 S: o* D/ E0 v% ^& KBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say.2 ]1 ~$ q1 V% J7 Z
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.% z9 ^$ R" o6 c) M; ?- y
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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. 1 y2 B, W* O& e J- k( E" B1 Z6 P4 j: J$ t' Q, V( W, Z
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.8 Z" \$ a P* b0 h( O- n6 ^3 T
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"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" # A& Y0 }! e" L+ v9 J- h5 g8 w* J4 B. [
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. 7 V1 A9 ]4 p1 Q3 i: a0 X0 K5 d/ n/ S! r" W) v$ J
Each day would be 15 hours long.) h7 Q' U$ {( `/ ?1 |
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"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.% ~. e7 Q6 ^# G3 w! r
* W6 q$ P( u' C% z"You get used to it," she smiled.3 X8 e/ Y: X2 j w& F: p
0 J, V1 R$ Y8 l; m" L"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" 4 H7 x3 e) ~% X) Z/ o# j! u % e* [2 o1 z4 j/ y"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." 2 u' a. y9 l' ?; g 2 ~& I$ u& g. j A r- xThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. : j& J1 L. l& \9 k, ]# x- e( Z8 ]$ {
Expensive lawsuits 2 l. F N1 E% @) w" a2 q1 h& j/ q }, @( X% @
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. * T2 E" c5 M5 Y1 w% H& c* s" b! s+ m9 ^- a1 Q
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.% A( j6 t; [) G, E$ b+ X0 Q) [7 T3 o
$ z" k$ K5 s; D; @5 C hIt 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.8 F6 q+ c8 G' V+ Z
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Now, 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.( C* A' f, h5 E3 k) Z9 e6 l; [- h
, T& l1 B5 w' @: V"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"5 s9 E% N. n& K# {; H
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I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. 1 B3 d) E4 d! s& v0 b " m5 {! [3 H4 M8 c: ^& j& {5 Q! |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? N5 o% X) W" Q' G4 E. k* g5 T9 z# g; p; B
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. 6 D. X& D* J3 v) r6 N ] $ y- l$ e9 ~6 d& {1 q: w8 N+ [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. ; s4 B* m! M& c5 Y- ?- S+ ]$ j0 r7 c) |4 m3 ]2 J0 w& @' V
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.+ O( f. B: @2 }( s! F& ]4 s. @
0 D, V4 V2 f+ K4 X1 u& PThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.( s1 s% v* z: c8 _) P
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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. : X& B2 i+ Z2 ~: A, Y. N B ( e P8 p; y* g% r6 h* L+ EI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.2 D2 j+ ^0 |/ k2 N* F6 i
1 d9 i/ p- p) J& x6 c # f" Z i( ^' [9 V6 [( C7 _ " Q8 m s# c/ i& f3 T3 o- j# a" J% Q: R % j$ A- V! N5 v1 X$ YCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004