0 g1 s, e T$ e/ w* E, J% [$ G8 X6 M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。” 9 g0 l- }" B: w8 c* l0 c - C# G- g3 h- \7 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。 , j0 F0 I+ r9 {; @! t 1 f- a9 t& L% ^5 i1980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。 5 `2 ^3 l& _7 l/ P1 P& R/ V- A( u不戴安全套的权利 - Y/ J1 ]- {* s4 s 0 E% R: C: k% k4 u& T: 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。8 {3 r. q1 K5 Z. \
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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”? 3 {6 ]$ S5 _4 p8 r9 e5 d; H7 P! B ( o; M8 m- x( |! }: e" }2 q5 j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。 9 w( f h( K. s. h) {$ c/ X E 8 C2 E$ D8 b u2 L; q2 I- U: u8 K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? + h" s q! E. U2 { : ~0 J: u1 a4 O5 o8 y" R" {& o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。0 ]$ M' Y+ C# Y
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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。# c$ x4 l3 t0 P+ t
, a3 ^! G! V! y2 c& O一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。# o. A9 S/ |! P7 N, i! c, h
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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。; B! ]: x1 e: o$ e6 H# G
0 r/ |' v" H0 i' ], {* ~, O, f/ s- 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。 0 h& X! [1 \1 X: r! z ) v a, O0 `2 X4 k( t! h+ C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……. 9 \; H- w3 j* O5 S! T$ l" u0 [7 C1 T1 q+ ]& }" Z' }9 z
6 D J& y$ k' \+ d6 CCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles , f+ h% O6 F6 S4 o! ~% m 6 \2 y% w) ?( ?- z1 kCalifornia'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. . j8 ?- X T" Y |/ O% D3 I" }& F' w& L3 ]
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.' ^4 D, A5 P$ b- e
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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. 9 ]9 ^$ K1 I* _( _ 5 A' M/ B3 L* W( I& ^- RWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect./ D: A* ]" W' i% [- f B6 Q
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The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. , ?5 T. {( o) {8 F! r6 l% X" T; S3 f& }1 F1 H
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. 8 D. K2 a# X$ n! A9 A ; W2 q; K% b, X) X8 |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.* j( u, p- z, O3 ^' G9 [; Y- Q5 S
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Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. ; U: n8 |! ?3 n# r$ ` K! V0 j$ O4 @" _/ S( y
Fantasy: I8 d; P! g& a" k
" ?) r, [) m2 C9 R1 JThe 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. 5 p* ?" y2 ^. `. d) f+ p4 r) A% k# e
The problem, increasingly, is revenue. 7 C# z3 g- c# g& D ~; U# g& n0 h+ u
Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.. Q4 N7 R' B/ g z
+ C7 L4 G& r0 ?; YDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. Z) H( z U i0 A7 v( {$ t0 r ( z ?$ g, l' K9 gAnd the economic downturn does not help.* |" S9 r4 ?/ \: `" v, e
: s2 L( p5 o5 J9 ^"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. % o/ U& P8 H1 M& K x8 s* Y: D5 ?+ V) JThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. 8 B# n/ J. x! m0 d3 \' K0 V/ g, u. k% @' P/ B
For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. 7 K6 R; M# b' R3 Z. g. i. c7 p! v/ w
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. - L9 @. g9 U/ ?4 |" T( K% R2 x* _5 H5 F1 s
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.3 v6 X$ c' a, O* h
( L/ b7 V8 r3 K0 h1 y$ l Q5 z5 NGonorrhoea. f [- f) B) A2 |8 \
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.) W7 ^; j( m# e0 U4 w4 j
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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. 5 Z) e2 r- u7 d2 j 1 B/ }4 e2 b- ZShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. + u8 d1 d: E; q. w" j2 T8 s1 K+ D' c
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" 8 l1 ]2 }# K, Y$ e0 Q& ?8 k( w6 h# N 6 C6 A9 K& l( h( fHer 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 ] a/ P% ?1 J$ g! c+ m
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Each day would be 15 hours long. 7 U$ W3 q% z l8 N4 I( } 1 k* l" }4 Z0 h1 z"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.0 w5 ^( [! M% U4 X; m j4 b& O
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"You get used to it," she smiled. 2 f0 }- m) I3 X E3 r2 q+ C( s * I$ _. m1 J! J"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" ! `* G# C. c- V7 r2 N# E. s7 f+ v# O* ~/ l2 v- {$ T
"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."7 h7 _ M2 W$ D4 f% O; I' E# Z
6 X! G' L9 Q3 F4 a4 h7 w" t. W+ jThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided./ _9 C/ P9 J7 W- B) G' ^
7 a- \) m z; _0 ], RExpensive lawsuits % K8 I# {4 \% X0 O% E7 h 9 N: K, x) ^! x% F* S' QIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. * H: Q, |: Z: s7 ?- p" r1 u" ^% M. ?: \$ u
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. & I/ X) b4 ~" k' q7 Q 6 A, S7 c- y8 H# NIt 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. $ T9 m' p! Y( v! u4 p2 c 6 o4 J* ~9 m5 C3 Z" bNow, 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.% C3 z0 \, f! g9 I9 d
8 _& ?8 M" s9 ?5 _0 L# B2 L2 E# \. Q"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" : X* F" j) h* c5 G& I; B! @ n& u; q* U. i& J( j
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. : c& }0 N& z% X9 n 7 ^; K( g0 F0 F" C3 m: a- ~2 o. ~6 VBut 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?! }7 ?6 C c. ?4 J0 b' f
$ I: n+ [ e* x, F( tThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. # I2 @5 f9 K) M0 x7 `8 _9 c1 Y( V+ |1 i, P3 S' C$ h
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./ T) S$ w7 B! T9 C6 u5 A
$ M- ]: |+ v& w! \A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. 2 O( x' S3 q% \5 H+ D1 x, L) h5 h/ R4 A& x# o2 _4 M& y
The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.: R1 a* i' T+ F( ^ n
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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. 7 ~ _: G3 Y0 I, i2 o4 k: ]4 n/ \0 T" b4 r
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.& g, |6 F9 Z9 J8 V7 E& t
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004