4 F" B1 N6 l C' l+ k2 ]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？ + k& K; Q X3 E9 C& F5 f4 G( U/ w/ u8 _
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。 n7 Y9 `2 R/ W / h6 J! N4 R4 Z- {3 k' n" o1 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。; T6 n# G; c8 p; @3 Z; A0 k7 E/ D/ @% V
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一些演员私下告诉我，他们盼着立法赶快生效。7 x( L0 B8 O: A* 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。 ) t' m, f3 U' J/ n9 `# V6 A! `" h* ?' R 1 i) X% ^! r: G6 u8 O; `. p- a* S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% m% O3 \4 B# y0 F
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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……. 0 A! i4 {* N6 J9 @5 R7 K- \ % ?4 C3 s u$ L: d. D4 N, I6 } L4 l+ Y: V4 m) W8 c- _) kCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 1 O1 ^4 @ y* c0 N$ V% O: o5 H2 L0 \9 k3 R+ e, z
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. / l! `% e0 B9 ^$ y7 L& ?' A. A0 T/ S0 B7 ]0 o" s0 V
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.% ?& B! l* @+ B5 f
8 N0 F2 R! Q E* aI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. $ o9 s- s8 R3 _! ~2 }% R 1 X. z7 D8 P) O x3 nWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. 4 K& g7 y% W8 N0 T3 @4 G( m- E J$ V' s" T' |5 Z
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. - m3 ]8 i& j% i& Y" V3 l& ?, R) v& I' ]8 O
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. Z: n; M+ O3 t8 Z. o 8 t6 d- h0 x1 x( Z( BThis 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. " w; @# e' E$ O) B- i8 z2 Q( z) _# F. E3 e9 n0 U
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. % d" p3 ^0 E. S * [0 F: C$ [ \$ w) l) zFantasy# z W- k1 ?/ h" D5 n o3 |/ O1 o
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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. # X k5 k( j. ]' x% X6 x 5 A4 F; U: I( j( _7 _3 m! y3 uThe problem, increasingly, is revenue.7 p) \+ ], x" |( T- m8 a3 R
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Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. ' r- e; A! m+ v/ u! { 1 a6 Y6 n5 U1 B2 s1 f# x! S. VDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. 3 u. {' n2 @. G& E- K ' X# Z$ N0 v2 ~) H2 e) e! BAnd the economic downturn does not help. . \8 l) z* V/ w& J2 j- \! v/ U2 K: K0 e; G" @
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. 0 V$ a8 M5 v' u6 y 6 C: f4 f; z4 S! Q# J* n5 {The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. : F) o6 Y9 r3 `. o. K: y " q. Y8 _1 G5 r% d TFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.6 @8 _$ r0 \( Y# C
. F( |& }8 ]' b) X- R# i" }Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. 0 E" d6 o% t W3 C0 r3 R 1 Q5 u) G% E* L1 J2 g3 l+ j- \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. / u$ c5 F( |" U2 a9 _, K7 i ( D( B g4 ?# ZGonorrhoea; q# u. E9 m7 z
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.8 d- M; |- e2 \& q
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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. / }: X3 V: H! b- f4 f/ T5 z& o, O& Z8 F/ ?# p6 N' n' T) ?9 z
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure., W$ T6 @; Y" w
5 u7 H% Y8 r! o z! U$ U- k3 e"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" 9 \; p p( D1 b9 \0 x4 w; N2 R; Q 2 v0 }0 s9 F; f; ~' B1 ?3 V7 g$ GHer 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.# w; h: j3 Z, P. h
# n1 S/ B9 t* G" r+ U5 X5 VEach day would be 15 hours long. . F) M+ @7 B$ X, O$ R+ s" M5 r- t/ T6 r7 U* }
"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. ! R" s0 Y: J" T/ R3 c& N ^1 C# q1 Q! l& G- v( H1 M4 }: V% i
"You get used to it," she smiled., t% V/ ]1 l- p4 O0 [+ I
9 M6 o1 ?' j" f$ K5 R5 F5 }"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"+ G. i' Y% T. x; Q7 m3 H
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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." v1 @. J, s: r: i( A: v# K" K+ x) M. ?9 a5 u
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.& \$ u9 d+ k) `* a/ p
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In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. 8 I0 U, l( J1 ?3 F8 \; {+ w: K: n* v% m* A% b# R2 H" h
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. u; V6 D( H2 c$ V: V2 i: z8 h0 a* ]- b) ^1 ^
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.: t6 V! P3 ?2 U1 ?1 |4 S
" @9 b: [$ q+ Y5 F% @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. 6 R C9 J& h) H! J8 F & G# r6 v H. z: q"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" $ O0 R/ {" O0 q V- L2 u: \ A2 y6 C; H: p; {
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. ! s. n7 r3 [$ e% J |' {/ S8 p, K5 m8 x1 R8 \* B% U' _
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? ; o( d' A: X0 P1 K2 X* {* G3 s; o. Z5 ~# F0 v! g
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.5 [( a4 a( q* S9 a/ I# I- e
# X& t- _- A% j, t- y: \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. , b( h! F- I6 M* _2 b' l ' N% p( N W1 M: i5 S# {* VA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them./ h0 S" P( s' I* n9 ?
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The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. 2 S+ E0 g2 C5 |" H/ R6 ?! [/ M' N& c6 s: V) T. \! T
That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. 3 i5 M% F6 a% W& y! H0 j3 ~% Q ; @7 G0 @( @( a& xI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. # w1 f& n+ F* g8 H# G- d* c# |- j; B6 h7 k9 n+ \) I. {/ I0 u & P$ [; f; @5 ?# s6 f9 `- J [
7 S% j' t/ ?: }" ^4 f # i: T/ r% x; R, c8 L8 h2 R. _Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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