/ I! }) f& u. H8 g. ~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？ 2 b' n$ X! N8 K, ]- ~/ q* M0 C8 D9 S4 ?# T6 Z1 a) X* K. U# w i
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。; |8 H9 _) w8 I$ y% V9 I
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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。- l4 c. `2 m( ^( m7 u
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一些演员私下告诉我，他们盼着立法赶快生效。% K5 s' Q' b! x6 v o
1 y; h- x' R9 T4 H" Y! ]& j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。 V! r R2 L' g1 q8 W. h
" c/ z( ^3 @( a' D/ _7 g1 ~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。 0 B$ `; D$ W' l/ E9 W* Z" o . h2 o: ?6 _! h! Y/ \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…….8 S% `% Y; c7 I X
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* `, J+ q* e; ?* `Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles ; A/ M! X- G2 {* H
9 I2 x8 }0 c/ K1 gCalifornia'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.5 D2 }: x. v' R% y* z5 u4 K3 V& B
) U2 f) P+ ]& p J$ N; e0 iLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles./ J9 D5 v! o A% D; B! I3 {
% n( N# P6 g: d; CI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. 1 N9 C/ x2 k2 l3 T9 q i7 t0 R* ^5 a! b" mWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. " s D& A5 Q9 v ; J0 G% i- ^0 R! s% i/ \; G, q) RThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.3 Y2 T4 K2 Q! x+ @8 E. `
0 N6 F6 _$ D1 U5 IPerformers 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.- s* v& H1 A( Z- M
# a, V+ [; l/ N" C* KThis 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.7 w" E0 e r# ?8 s; m+ S
8 D& e5 C# z& C( j$ C" DOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.) y1 U1 Q! v; E8 f9 R' N
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Fantasy ' U/ z! ]% l/ g 6 Q7 a3 L' _ R# X7 S1 mThe 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.) w, ]- n) |, N0 W; L
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue.) C+ X3 r8 T; _' b
/ a) v2 M' Q' S; r9 K5 ILike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.1 h7 o) Q* ~1 [7 N
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DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. 9 v; u7 y1 I- y% }/ x8 ^2 N) t % B9 {# e5 i aAnd the economic downturn does not help. ' t3 A5 T5 w6 _: Z8 ]( r8 p. z W9 J
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. + n% D7 ~9 f: I: B+ m1 r5 ?- ^, @% ?6 _' i0 w1 Q# ~7 `
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.; y. t3 z4 l- \) ` }( Q
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. 7 M: K9 X d9 B+ o 6 z/ z5 P" j: M' VHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.3 s# x H9 a% D1 j, e" ?1 q
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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. ; y. ?, ^6 y' |2 Y. m6 s& y% W& K7 R
Gonorrhoea$ H9 V4 F; L: a( p% T# G- _
! |, Z7 I" @$ _% EBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. & Q; a2 P$ k' U4 l$ z# D9 A" T. q, r9 y$ K5 B& ~
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.2 N: f/ Z' H' c
1 E$ h$ p0 e5 k! e P# V- QShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. ; @) u: s! U0 J' l w( r! z" A' {: B6 N* G6 j"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" 1 \% }8 k1 ^9 c5 Q2 L* U" e6 A, B# W. t/ _7 Q8 X; V/ F
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.* ]' S% {7 N9 `
+ U1 m4 c! P% X; W/ }Each day would be 15 hours long.* x; P B7 E+ R1 t' H
' c% n3 d( F; w1 \, Z: Y; \6 b6 T9 ]"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. 6 r$ b0 O i& [6 L8 U2 b' |$ I: [2 C; Z) j# r
"You get used to it," she smiled.# O9 o% k. _+ p
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"# J" G6 m. g) m7 o* e
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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." 4 K8 V7 |7 v: Z1 K* u 2 T+ F$ H! h: M5 E# n7 tThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.3 `+ n7 }3 e) T& M+ w
6 Q1 o! t6 r; @Expensive lawsuits- B# D8 _, X6 Q' ^0 c+ |
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In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. 8 u6 f2 A8 t* c! O+ h" a* R8 h3 J3 O! ~
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.8 b9 n, u3 k8 K
9 V2 r5 z, p0 O% U3 i) l7 RIt 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. % Q' t# R, x6 L0 ]2 n% J 7 L+ S; z; O7 }6 ?) aNow, 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.) d) l7 P2 P. L
. g1 k; U/ U# n. r"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"2 h+ l7 S3 m) m8 v+ J0 I' \+ G9 ]
! ?$ B ]4 t. A5 r% uI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. ! V* E& `% q7 m9 _0 d7 [4 w 8 Q/ R2 [9 G8 r, x- n2 dBut 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?$ ]* P9 _+ A9 u# V' M
( c v q* d' T: q( |The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.( G `! A1 e& P
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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. $ K' ?7 l0 c( Q; r7 g + N: ]; O% W8 w' ? AA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.. R, L6 A, t' D) Q/ F
5 A( V8 X/ O, a8 CThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.$ E: b5 t* \; U6 n" t2 ?
- _9 d' s3 g) o$ ]! wThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. " S, s% X4 X! ]& K, i+ }& G% a$ T g% O l8 }- N* H) t; d9 O' J2 a" P
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. W' c. u8 L8 Y* e
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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