7 i1 j8 }4 ^. t! h: ~3 N/ |" E! S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”? 1 p' F& n: y. N* Y& X$ j Z0 G- F9 [- `7 r
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。 p! p3 N' r1 P" r
6 c, g, C0 U d+ S/ E我说,“你一定很累吧”?她微笑着回答说,“习惯了”。 & f1 A" P, R4 H; g/ ` 5 s& b: U" k/ }2 j7 J& a9 f6 [' l! s我接着问,“那么,健康风险呢?你经常被感染吗”? ; }* |4 c0 c: p- d ! z0 ^7 Z. s5 `" M3 N: v( \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。” 5 a7 m* _8 w/ T/ w; J5 E. L* T 7 z3 P+ H9 X ^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。 & q( B, Q+ ?6 e1 e; T ~* B2 E6 N7 ]: W: g5 e
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。 3 Q% W9 n0 P% v2 C# }2 c! u3 w不戴安全套的权利 7 t% C7 o% A% t& O ) Q1 l2 j- _) p ]' @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。 9 e( y! r; \! W3 [8 Z 1 A; d/ V) L K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”? a+ ?! F5 b1 Q$ u# x3 z6 {1 C. j" j: x$ v7 v! }/ S4 i2 Q& \# v
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。2 q) I% U3 X) ~+ N+ a6 g
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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? E+ J( {% d+ V: X& H# V @2 r& o. J# r4 n
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。9 K7 _; l' G$ ]8 ?7 S+ ^! s. ]* A
$ s& I4 p' u3 H Y- p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。 5 s9 v+ A. n. [, g1 g & b4 R( s' _' D# b一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。- Q) C+ Z. \* g V$ O
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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles ; B4 N) p z7 _- _- r
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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.7 l- }. x; r* b+ q1 p- j
0 ?! M$ a" h" e( ]: G: m3 kLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.$ J- P' |# ]2 |: [: j4 V. C+ ^& w
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I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.4 B3 A j7 n0 B, O1 t, B
( x8 a7 W7 u% K2 X0 p6 w+ TWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.' n4 Z) c' |: W
/ L' _# J3 e5 E1 k4 q4 qThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga., X! r. b' h% w H/ s
) _4 y* ~% C/ Y5 z* ePerformers 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 `/ ~1 k G! ~- w
$ \# d& J* d. A1 V& e4 Q7 b, JThis 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. ! y" P; v* W- z) N" X% C& N 4 s( n* Z% a+ e. Y1 L0 cOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. : b( I2 I- X9 J0 d6 X 1 C# A7 {# J$ K5 {: k5 w* zFantasy. p$ S0 H' p$ h+ A% j
3 c# O* N5 P/ { T+ @4 ]7 iThe 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.$ y- Z6 [3 ~4 J% g- B
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue.+ w7 y& U: _! r* Y: A9 l" P
j0 }: W5 U6 X& l9 jLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. 4 l) R# L- M- e" [$ i# F3 f9 |! v. G4 T) g# c
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. $ V" `( B5 G p9 j2 v1 Y3 M! n8 T/ H/ T5 v) j1 t1 E# ]: A
And the economic downturn does not help. ) A3 A: D7 f* L0 `* `" E. @- H* e }! ]
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.3 M! O; r) _( F) o) A$ z
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.* n3 a( Z& L7 w: B8 E
1 b6 ]5 k9 w- N" WFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.& [& A2 L" l+ m# M9 J) j* ~8 z
. a: l D; r$ N3 ~$ PHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. * z) Y6 G$ B. p % ?% m$ \7 r8 z% ~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. : L5 `$ L5 T" A7 |( f* C" K$ P/ O8 L' p0 S$ D8 I8 \
Gonorrhoea' G4 C' J4 p7 ^+ w% M% M ?; T
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers., t; I; P& E+ `" I& K8 q
0 H+ ~ g0 f$ z* mA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. 4 P% G; \* \3 i$ z' l 7 R9 B( _- ?8 w" M# `7 FShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. " M+ c1 S0 j' Q& h : w8 f$ ]$ s8 N5 C"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" % y z# |% R. E; G : p s9 d$ `! q! ]! d6 uHer 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. # Y0 ?1 m/ u* C: `9 M, P$ c+ M) p# t) W- o: C h- v7 _2 C) D9 p
Each day would be 15 hours long. ! Y. i7 ~3 O& O/ U- v9 O 3 V# O, n6 H$ \8 \2 E"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.+ X6 B4 O: T: g8 L7 ]0 Z
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"You get used to it," she smiled. P. F( z3 f6 c5 _- J2 W* ` 7 k* G% h; s! O, ^5 w2 a* d0 {"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" % [( D3 a. R; Z) o; M: x( W% n6 Z9 }0 S% O' n' d- h% I
"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." + } x- h/ n0 k4 u# u 9 w8 [1 E8 X$ x6 MThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.* z# ]# S- H$ t$ n& I
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Expensive lawsuits( U1 K! h, D( M, b7 ~& {
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In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. % U {& O) p5 P8 ^( z( H1 V8 g9 j4 t6 G8 \
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.; l' D8 Z8 r% k2 T( M1 @
6 w" p/ s. I: H- p& E' tIt 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. ! C0 `9 o% D2 m - C7 I" @" S$ z1 v( _2 e0 [3 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. p2 f) P, z# a7 e9 z1 w: |' Z. c
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"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" 1 h* |" ~! N# ^3 X; G# @7 z; m. v) f& X
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.& F1 e6 @- |3 Z% D
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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?0 x4 C$ j$ ~1 [% p
! P& W, U. x* k8 K8 v2 rThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. ( @' `- B6 O% V% x+ J a3 T2 ^, n# N& s" C% ~8 l( A
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. 6 j/ I+ u3 [# I! I- {. ]% u5 ? * H/ t" Y1 f3 @. g: U& R" M2 aA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.5 [5 E; x) ?7 E" d7 t# J+ f$ ]" R: [
. ?5 m# c, u. p$ _2 w, UThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.0 h4 L: B% r7 ]: f; B' B
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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.; ~& E$ e$ j+ G. K; Z
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.) O6 }; Y" L& E J" J: g
9 y8 o( k1 C4 A' |% W 1 J# H3 f! G3 U) Y* w % ]5 N u$ m; h * l! e0 F* b5 Y5 s# SCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004