# g$ [2 G. W* r+ `: H: p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。; O) w i" n6 y
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我说,“你一定很累吧”?她微笑着回答说,“习惯了”。, }( ?/ D) g/ X4 C: f' T
! t6 b! w U" M/ u# X3 ~& g我接着问,“那么,健康风险呢?你经常被感染吗”? 9 a- J( u# e0 x; L8 N0 I. s7 ~: D& W4 B/ s3 n5 _+ X ~
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 |. p# G1 }% F, F' O# }6 a8 { F) D' [6 @: x! z9 m' @6 W5 D" `2 T
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。1 C4 H" ?/ Y& H8 M; x
+ X# c0 k3 J8 Q! O4 `! ?' j) d1980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。 * A2 e/ ^' Y: u r不戴安全套的权利 & a4 Y$ i6 C5 d2 \, L* u' A- r# i: `+ K" L( o2 V
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。 ( d5 e( ^. o: b7 W8 y! A0 K$ _3 f ' D- D0 q1 d/ o e3 D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”?/ n! H( x: v @: x
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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。, f# z8 K& ?6 j. w z3 \3 e0 B& u
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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?; X3 o7 }+ S2 t8 X% M6 F" d' g
( J+ B1 h+ @' o# i& y( F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。 $ k T- F3 @. X- a P3 ?$ @. q8 G1 k+ y4 o6 K
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。7 k/ m; C2 y9 Q9 p4 E- W( V) M% c
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一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。 5 q0 Z4 b5 O7 Z i, E- q- S; F5 O2 c 6 S/ i% @ g: a2 W6 h! e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。 5 M c4 `4 b% g" G: l' G' C + j" W3 V% f% M! W- P8 O' E$ Q! I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。 ! f; u& F6 C" L8 ?" j$ P8 ` 8 y6 Q) x' W& H2 t" `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……. ( D! m$ Z- d/ S4 x; |% v; y+ F5 }! H+ g ) h1 N. V0 o8 C) X- r 1 H3 L* X8 b$ `1 LCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 7 M+ ]- p5 b5 ~5 ?) l
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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.% J& A7 F/ o2 C6 W
+ l! } D ]3 X, g# `7 k9 E5 ^Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. 9 R; b: U; ]; E; r/ [4 Q6 [3 ~ ; {+ @) w7 s( r5 F# ^" }- _* z8 YI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. . ~' @5 ^: H c; W6 I% ^% c: _& z4 G0 A+ o( B5 @! N+ \+ S
What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.7 Q9 K% j- y8 v; u8 A9 U3 R) {" ?
0 V" j& E8 d4 VThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. 5 W* q4 y& W1 n4 Q6 J6 |. n * T. }! G/ p6 ?' j+ }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 ]! @5 w" O* A4 M
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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.2 u3 }4 a! g) Q
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Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. 0 o! f6 b: V0 D+ D8 s# y & O: T) V( l7 @& W) TFantasy; }9 Z8 x/ X" o
0 @5 h/ e' P5 uThe 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., ]6 b, K0 a/ D
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue.+ g3 V0 z; c! P- h9 k3 G y: c
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Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. : Q* }; o. U: u. Q+ U9 J8 ]; Z/ w/ m8 g3 [7 L6 c
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.9 y7 ] n& |0 G2 K- \& R* z- [% s
* J' q" ]& @$ S$ QAnd the economic downturn does not help.: L2 F9 ~$ @* {6 c
0 ~. a4 R8 e7 X"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. 6 [' v5 ~% {) _0 b3 w% Y2 |% v& J 4 d/ N8 v% v5 N+ c& ?, LThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. |, k: C2 d! g- a( n, H4 L# ~3 @
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.8 ~3 s2 t% ~- W$ G# s
/ p, O3 g8 i K2 a; m, JHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set." Y/ w6 _9 d5 N, D7 p# |# `
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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.- }) [7 k( Z# q5 V: \5 N3 `
+ f1 E4 ^1 O& m- }, W# ^$ j( RGonorrhoea1 t. Z3 F6 W+ l4 D3 {0 B3 q0 z
% ]5 ^ ]5 e9 F% n! c; wBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.8 R" y' c( \) y# K& 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.0 d7 E/ R( O }" x* A
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She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. v* Z# d, j- _1 o7 r0 m: G
+ e) `6 t% T7 _' D& r, o/ |"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"8 E+ U- \! D8 X7 i) Y- D- q
9 R$ y1 ~9 \& 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. ) a8 C* f0 u# c8 i ! M7 C1 s! L' a) M& K! k$ JEach day would be 15 hours long. 6 {0 I5 o. L5 b: P. a8 B $ j, Z4 h) M* o% ]5 s5 e"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.1 k" ?8 R6 P! [( E, v( \; [ L
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"You get used to it," she smiled.- R g9 }& ]9 o' M
6 @4 z/ C4 j1 S1 [ z: Y- e"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"" V5 k6 h3 f) m5 l5 V/ u
. ~8 y3 }. F" v"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." ! l2 r6 p1 g4 ?& W9 s2 v6 |# D) B: I2 J( ^- O6 O
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided./ \5 T# s& {* M- I
8 N# ]: U: o+ u- i' Q$ C4 yExpensive lawsuits4 B- S- \9 O, p' y
: l/ Y% ~9 D6 h0 K' \In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. ) @% {( F d0 h9 F4 U2 B$ x 5 U% e# h L- z4 Y2 N2 x5 N, CA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.! i) [2 r( V }! b7 y
X4 ~* J7 e+ n; I' h) h% w+ bIt 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.% B9 P+ G- C" |% F
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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.* I8 u: g a+ T# `1 }% ` S
7 l' \0 }% E3 O( Z"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" 7 ?$ Q7 u4 s- {/ j: B! r ) J2 Q) d/ T0 [I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. $ _. x) s0 o, p% F1 b. h # S8 {. }7 @/ `) V" s, E, V* kBut 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?. i3 ]6 i+ ]( E
% A$ L7 G; B8 o, {2 f @The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. , W6 R% B# E; L0 k( [0 s' b$ `# y2 Y% e9 B1 g" s; V
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.* Y2 d/ w. o" Y( g8 _+ W: b
( O& Z8 b" H1 j; M1 h0 A5 CA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.: D F" d( J; r5 \8 E
: T B+ Y# s# P& p5 V$ M/ ]& C- jThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.% |& r. M+ @3 T4 p0 H9 |5 P
: |6 U2 C8 x$ V+ @That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. & x- \/ P3 \4 T3 S , D# D, Q# x$ ]( {, ~- [! PI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.* N" M0 A- V; y t% k# n
" X- q+ s: N7 @( M$ x( G. } 3 i$ D3 f( F: \. v, {# f" k! z+ `5 c A0 W% {. j v4 S, Z " E' \! F/ ~! T( cCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004