+ w4 G. {1 v/ |; p# x5 _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。 : J) Q$ _7 E2 t; x; V4 Z 4 _4 s& M. \) k, `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”?2 O/ F4 H+ g. R! ?" V+ w: Y
1 p9 q+ b3 Y2 Y# F1 E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。 / L* L2 y1 ^4 z9 S7 R; n& M) a" E; d' `7 }% {9 L, R
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?: N" P9 y. \: e
3 A2 M7 U( ^3 m2 H" b0 A& R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 k& w* J/ j g& B 1 J! G. N; u" _9 T7 a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。 . w* _' B/ M* n, ^4 X3 s* m' ~& e8 L6 y Q. c
一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。+ a+ E- v. Q' P6 Y& R
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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。 & G' l+ i4 E# Z y/ G5 R1 s/ t/ L: I1 `" R
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。 4 `2 p; `" v% D9 |0 r3 S7 G) d/ N# H0 {
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……. . \7 F- |% M% N; }. D 8 [# f7 \0 H! l* d$ E* M" m6 K. m; _# E5 _' b
Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles # ^$ h- M2 J5 c8 A2 _9 Y5 w4 ^' R6 \6 p+ A
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. + @9 i& K0 Q; N+ d: ?5 E/ j8 \# v8 s! ?. x5 w& Z
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.0 n2 C6 t. Y" b8 n
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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. 2 e: d* Q Q# o. T0 e ( G- [# w4 T9 T9 C+ rWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.2 O9 o. X1 z+ Y# ?8 Z/ q' C
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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.( u- B; j2 G4 C. _. n
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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.) c, }# \1 \7 o7 v
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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. 5 ?& W& D- i% E/ V4 a 2 c `9 E7 F# ?5 R. Q* iOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.) \& T4 q. g8 y3 `9 G9 @
: E! D3 y( L/ r, J8 }( SThe 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.- P% H3 Z+ E" O- W7 p8 q3 | y
6 \$ S% `1 e/ Q9 i- XThe problem, increasingly, is revenue. 3 O: d9 A& K) N) {$ z2 p3 B, u- Y. p7 N
Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.1 S/ K c: Z# `8 a+ \, f0 e. G9 s
, c. u. r+ J7 d+ b4 c7 yDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.3 w9 k1 Q( F E& o
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And the economic downturn does not help.3 n, r) \% O x+ h9 ^6 e; K
' _- E8 i$ ~1 _2 s9 X"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. 3 J" P- X$ o0 J$ {4 g, c 9 i+ S' L: ^" r$ T6 |$ ?The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. 6 K) \' A0 B; ~& ?' B" @ 6 m( y& d. s9 r( M8 h3 C' kFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. 5 Y8 l9 C* S0 C5 @ : a( k! }9 W& tHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set." N- F, ^; m4 b% ^
3 P" |. z8 T$ A+ iBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say. & s5 T. Q( z/ I- [ " S8 h5 Y0 `( ]$ d8 d% t7 M8 ]Gonorrhoea 1 S2 F9 y' E/ o; M- _7 F( K, q6 ^$ T7 f4 G9 [
Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. u) p; X/ K! y- a1 G( [+ j. w2 Z y2 I, |) N1 U! c( q G8 b
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. 6 ^+ p6 r1 i- Q( g; w# W$ X1 O2 i3 i/ a8 V/ s
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. " C* i6 j* R9 p* Y# ~; u2 a' C% e6 S y# W+ B
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" 4 e v: i* R; L! k . r* K, \3 ^ ^2 r, n! q/ {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. ; |4 q8 _+ D: {' M# V0 p' |. f8 R: D4 \$ t: J" }% |
Each day would be 15 hours long.+ v# |0 ]8 C/ f0 p
o& h( d @7 T2 j7 v/ z- \( M"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.4 Z% X6 s1 @$ f( u, d P
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"You get used to it," she smiled. , C; G6 B! P' }, |! s' c. Q1 a1 p( I6 P
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"# D8 w$ D9 H8 D9 {/ x. c% s
4 D) m+ F1 p5 ^( e"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." . \' @6 j" z( u% y3 o' ^* D+ N, G# U" o* i2 u
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided./ V* \- I! b' O
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Expensive lawsuits 8 f' i/ {8 Y$ ^: `" L % l6 E" }, w+ |7 \5 eIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.; I0 Y7 k& B2 o4 H
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A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. 5 K8 c, w, v5 t+ t( f( [7 d8 }$ Y6 n+ P, G
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.1 o; V; i$ w2 I/ P) T, P
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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.5 Y$ T* d6 j, e! y3 l% s. E
! Y8 ^* I3 h# E, P& d"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"- ~4 ?8 ^) O$ v* E2 ^
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I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. 6 c# J9 U" P/ R( l+ I 7 W. n+ j" ^: `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? " ]; u$ n+ v+ W) ?2 | I+ _) t' _0 c: OThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.2 B6 p7 i4 R* e0 n
& g. E2 m# G8 k4 w3 x$ ZIt 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.- P- ^# s* B# Z8 {4 q$ n
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A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. ( ~/ j# ]0 j6 ]( \3 a% w- _' O' A# H; @2 R! x+ K
The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. # Q3 Y. H5 M n- T/ r , g) c" ?) F3 n6 n9 T9 bThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.- i; j+ Y2 ^4 z/ i' |; n, j8 B
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. - K8 r8 U, y) I; U" e . Z7 C* u2 o2 c" L+ R( p; j2 C& ]* N. E
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004