8 y j/ a j0 m我接着问，“那么，健康风险呢？你经常被感染吗”？0 p. B& e9 P" w& _
' A( k3 q" c/ Z( f5 C7 d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。”0 x+ L9 }5 Y! h) V
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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。 $ }' m& i1 i- t6 x" F ; }' e8 H, s5 g- e) h1980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。" f1 ~8 o& i7 q3 i7 `, B$ z7 s3 E/ L9 u
不戴安全套的权利 " X; O6 u8 G8 t1 ?: d3 X . j0 z c3 r: X2 L ~ l+ _$ x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。0 X% P0 [. ~( H1 n, {. D) t; Y
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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”？ 4 v. S6 [$ R$ e* z. z: C, f& B' Q7 d1 c0 |+ [- h! \
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。 1 R$ b- _ y/ ]- n. M2 N: D1 Q' \8 l* R, s. l/ s9 R( S
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？ $ T/ }" w( h! m6 K; h8 s; s% C; C$ |$ W G# a
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。1 M/ g7 h5 W! I1 G( G8 j
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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。8 O' u& c7 g3 V V5 w
. F- S2 b6 P( \1 F L一些演员私下告诉我，他们盼着立法赶快生效。 8 c( ~. @1 G6 e- M g3 _+ n # o- i' a) M7 s3 y9 ~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。 0 K" _) Q8 t; t( i* b' c- ]* l; S6 C
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。8 T Q5 t, U! ?3 J) y
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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…….1 v6 X5 o0 p# l1 d1 T
; X1 w* S ]5 A, n. ?% W # c* V7 l! h: N3 v; ^# G1 YCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles , K+ B; X- f" F! x; f' j% Z
( O: k1 _2 [/ W* A! vCalifornia'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. $ i# y8 x# I2 ?$ W0 t F& R( o/ g: c% J' i6 w1 @. \Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. * p1 A& R- u# _! k 8 F& r% ^) Q. o# |I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. / J- f5 P! a1 f0 R; g/ K: g6 R8 F( r$ d" W3 a
What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. * j! x+ F+ A! n% s; d ! E4 Z- Z5 _3 @9 aThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.2 y+ ^; |. a6 A& }
1 D4 H% ] m* T% p) aPerformers 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. 7 I0 h- o( e, O; ^/ n/ `9 v. e" O1 S) n6 k# A. H4 L
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. ! {+ q" K% n. O 7 g; E& k4 u6 }Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. 1 _# e4 a5 w; G' N6 w, t e* Q, ~ 3 z- \. Z8 G1 ]1 ^8 r0 `" _6 rFantasy 8 D: h. ]# T# ^( q7 t. u , a( d: z- M7 g' V' ]0 h2 ^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.% b. `9 G4 S2 o2 V" y
* D4 r+ Q/ g2 ]+ e( TThe problem, increasingly, is revenue. # q& @5 v3 L( L' }7 E; V / O, M- K# ?- l/ t- U$ j$ s' qLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. * K" P+ s8 Q) m. Z* B# h2 D' Z" T
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. 6 C; ]% H P" ^3 O/ p- I5 {- f0 i6 `* I }8 L( N- \$ K' r- \
And the economic downturn does not help. 4 H! \$ d! ]# X$ b7 l ; v8 p9 u8 Q) \4 S"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. . E" _+ i8 T3 u0 ]# m ) A8 @. z% S/ l+ }4 QThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. 5 k' S2 ~% ^; v: K! ?3 f! E$ R+ c) L/ y5 ?
For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. & k: }+ n0 V ^& C2 e' R" _! E' M
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set." m9 i' B. c5 L i
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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. 5 A, r; _ a+ ^9 ^- j$ R, _- f' O) G9 d6 s3 Z
Gonorrhoea " H9 P1 c. J* C' x) K0 k1 f% a* ~8 |; H$ B0 ?0 X+ y
Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. + i9 I7 U, e1 q, X4 r1 ?8 M 4 n' Y6 G* l9 ~; e1 \& kA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.; h" g3 X/ l+ u+ V i: y
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She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.! J0 S* I3 x7 B' q9 ?# T2 N
! t F/ Q y: n; {. A"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" / C# e/ f% G. i# u- g4 G7 s 5 n, ^( X. n" \$ r( j- ^/ d# [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.: `5 e8 t/ M; k6 v
w& B- [6 Q6 l- Y u) L5 vEach day would be 15 hours long.$ h+ C$ } L; n% f6 I$ E6 z; c' i
$ o" d* X: ^! d9 y1 `"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.$ L S- b3 R4 m2 M
3 p+ m6 I8 a! ^$ D"You get used to it," she smiled. * E9 P8 w$ f2 d% ~8 P% B9 A $ k3 e$ A! ?2 ~% V: m5 @"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" 1 `) l8 J) c) [- r1 a; d/ E2 v! }, j, G6 w
"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."5 @# B$ _( h$ k8 H' ?' O0 J7 Y
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There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. 4 y; A" u$ ~8 D' ^& E1 F! _1 I! w& j, Q/ w# G/ n6 E# J
Expensive lawsuits) o& o! n0 I6 o4 G' w
0 x# p) `; j- |# ^: _) AIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. 6 q! F( j+ Y' K e 1 g ^- @ M. F2 j* K- k! ?- i2 FA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. ; T) K+ a% h: z( J, t ! ~7 S& M) t' @# [9 I7 {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. 2 p5 Q/ O U! R6 N& R @) k / ^ F& h- p5 {. ^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. 0 v, x; V$ \. ?! O4 _% H' h# U3 h0 n# P G1 ^' J. o( V& W) v, n
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" 2 ^$ p+ J& a5 j$ g7 g0 i: d* Z; I+ d2 V1 ^5 {6 t
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.9 E+ D r3 g W2 ~' ^+ {2 {
- g( d/ u) H" @0 N! B9 ~) H8 bBut 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?6 @, ~8 ^* \- Q; I9 m6 d; H" p
' F$ d9 f. E1 p5 B8 `( U; f' ^# TThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.% }4 P2 O6 P1 Q% Y4 ?8 A e
- Q# D& P1 b" cIt 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.; d* V, V' Y# Y- j& D
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A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. - M( v6 q8 W/ A! b& I& L9 l* z1 q) |/ e* G# m: S
The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.9 a1 o. b+ L$ O" x; L" P4 k
$ n4 y, [9 P* T/ L* }That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.9 J5 I8 @( W3 h
+ L( ` }4 p, a( u; T# Q; p# gI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.1 `6 }3 i4 m# S m
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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