! d% n; Y6 G9 s, F重返《星际迷航》的拍摄现场,我和主要演员之一宝碧·斯塔尔聊了起来。宝碧是大学毕业生,以前是国家级游泳运动员,专业的双簧管手。短短的27年,她的一生真可是阅历丰富。( Q4 J4 x- [" b9 F
4 e5 g- ]4 p/ J1 D- K% G( ]1 l
宝碧说,改行做色情电影演员,主要是为了追求性探险。她说,“这是找乐趣。身边的人都高高兴兴,你有什么可烦的呢”? * S8 [ Q/ L1 d$ H4 F' l! X; b' K
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。 6 q7 d. s$ w) M) _5 ?: L/ {' w
我说,“你一定很累吧”?她微笑着回答说,“习惯了”。2 ~7 ~1 z* L, Z
$ n* T% l& N& ~, X* T9 p
我接着问,“那么,健康风险呢?你经常被感染吗”? ! `5 X7 T& {: u3 J1 R3 D+ c( ~( I" L, H7 N/ P
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。”( k+ `% `. X( b' D- F# d
* U/ z8 p: T& }2 { Z8 ^
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。 2 `$ m/ N* F/ q9 d 1 Y2 @+ `$ n+ M9 [5 c# J0 K1980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。; _1 ]0 t5 H. Z+ y* X
不戴安全套的权利 " Z n7 n- u- U5 c' t G" U# q2 D8 `% r # E+ a4 l9 ]2 d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。, o& B$ Q: L Z+ W4 ]8 U9 Q9 d
, {. ^5 j- l& o6 z& N
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”? ! m ?# h' c" x. H; |* I' e; x( v
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。8 c* g& I4 y0 J% u2 r( @! U
: c, n7 \' M, D% Z0 O& r. z5 ^
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?2 E, V# |* f0 d8 j4 W. i2 n
5 K/ w R& h1 r, ?7 B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。; g2 K8 {1 ?- [" H" J. J
0 w" z0 G9 {* p- T
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。 ) y6 z( e. G4 Z( F/ n + W9 C8 Z, p: t% I) X' V一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。 4 f/ n3 K4 `5 l6 h4 I0 J% _- v1 x 5 K& I) s- j# T) ~; T0 v- R9 ?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。 * y e5 P; B/ E- Y j2 N% o4 f2 s* j8 O. g. H' E4 R: D
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。 3 ^7 l$ ^ d& ^5 H+ B4 u * r8 P2 Y5 P; W6 R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……. 6 m# ?! p. `( B1 j8 ~) A% u3 T/ P) s/ u
) ~7 ]% y1 L+ b7 R/ v+ d+ C
Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles ) E- c0 n, c' o; x3 Y6 E7 R8 Q
0 v6 c* p$ E) s) ]8 Z3 X, o; V
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. ( a8 ^: y8 I! [5 P9 g9 @' V- ~, B! z% f* ?6 h# Q" \
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.( C* p, }% Z( T% \% L
) o6 \3 d% Z x4 yI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. ) H h$ n5 D: a% s P$ X, Z- M- {7 E/ D& i/ I# c9 R
What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. 7 c F3 E2 u9 J. h+ G/ d8 P! U7 y- Q# A3 m; F: c
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.% |9 D8 x; k1 f" X8 F
$ V0 k& N. c$ Y4 k% Y
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. + @9 N/ Y$ e1 `5 U+ k 9 F( i; ^+ k. w3 G% wThis 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., D- X7 C `3 }( n
( T S, l" h' P7 A0 fOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.3 [" }0 q: _: C3 p) t& U4 L
0 Q( u, S$ g$ H+ n n$ Z3 r
Fantasy 6 Z- ~' z" j& ^4 {" f5 G/ e7 _* h2 O0 ~ u$ S6 d
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- U- G" l) ?# Y9 O) [
, `) |9 y7 x0 B' n7 s1 }
The problem, increasingly, is revenue., z# j- N- l+ x2 v; N; {/ N8 w
9 a6 V+ a. @8 Z: D$ R$ f; ^Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. % \9 H( Q8 ?0 y5 @- E: K1 q% k6 S/ C2 v% l8 G5 C+ ~+ z. _
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. 4 B: O6 X+ e4 X7 K% n' X5 Y, e: E- h" X0 z. _2 ~4 w
And the economic downturn does not help.$ F( ^" u8 [: ? D6 b3 ]% T4 w Z
: G9 V# @* q% t/ G7 z) S"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. 1 _( w/ Z) t& Y # e6 {8 p1 _: k, y. I! |% W3 q9 B9 ^3 DThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations., k @9 l( p$ |$ U/ E; }
. _5 v, n( Y5 d4 aFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms., J! q- P! r0 N
% a$ r: x5 F( i/ D8 b+ M& kHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.& E# d; W5 X9 Z- [- z' p+ Y
9 p, l5 B% [: z+ k5 }! \9 E7 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.; Q5 k. y8 Y4 [4 n9 q# s
6 g5 t$ g2 p. s2 y7 N
Gonorrhoea. N7 K0 l) g1 J( x Z' d/ D4 F
3 e* f, T' ]8 T0 |4 }
Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. $ Y4 j9 ?2 K; ^6 G; q. c8 Q$ Y/ @5 Y/ ]9 {1 w
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. . y3 a% ]; ^0 p' H p / l' J2 [5 T, M, s+ c, eShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. $ \- K/ p' N' ]" h0 K% I7 P- b / v2 a- D1 V; w) N" U9 V1 |% R"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" 9 `( V$ R3 M) | {$ a2 l- W0 J 2 v/ f# e+ @3 EHer 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. + N, |( G) Z- ]7 ]5 A( k' n1 ~+ @ : W! v$ d6 o5 w- w, e& v) x$ iEach day would be 15 hours long. T5 T/ d7 S, p: D
$ k. P. N3 a: `- L6 P4 J
"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.. E: T* I' n4 h! R
: I5 Q( m! i d6 R
"You get used to it," she smiled.8 n" ^7 E! L K
3 y" i. C' i! w* R, {* J9 ["And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" 8 y0 K }. V- l3 |8 O2 k0 Y' O H( X N9 V" I
"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."0 ~; x6 X/ X4 v9 {
9 t& o1 R3 U# D: f* k! [6 O. J1 AThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. ) |9 R# Y4 b) d4 J " Z! W- p! y1 L1 ?9 wExpensive lawsuits # s1 b2 L$ v+ j, P2 h. ]6 } ( Z4 m2 U G8 p4 ]4 ^5 \/ S: MIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business., C& N! a" k. s# w6 ~; o( Q
; K' g" L. g8 q. x4 {3 WA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.3 v- `6 \! i) x" j5 g' P9 D9 K |' r
+ G+ |3 P& f9 m) n: fIt 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. ( j$ l+ m: V- [, L6 z8 Q. ~! h2 q6 s( r. w* ]0 e% }$ U- M0 R' z5 d
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. ! z h$ C( h- C4 I! A$ P 3 t) O2 t# b& j6 S"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" 7 ~# _, E/ n, W+ O' `2 v) p& P ! e# S' Z9 C- E& K! BI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. - Y K. ]/ E3 p0 J+ T8 T9 j# w2 h4 W7 @' q% Z9 H
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?- D' n% o5 O) G; ?0 r9 |+ ^
* w9 x7 B/ l5 Q$ J
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. - k# r) K# E" S7 g, J- e+ _. v/ b8 D# b( r) ^3 l
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.. n+ L6 i4 c" n7 i% x& W O
7 x. J( M; a5 f! y3 \/ \A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. " E4 ~0 q2 U$ ~' y7 @% {0 } 0 P6 Z! \: V3 p; o: WThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.! S% ]1 u7 {" Q( q* M3 t- b
4 V+ t' }8 a' Q5 I# |) h
That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.4 j$ C D6 J/ l( n# L+ S" O7 Q
& y$ V+ m B7 J' I' T5 S
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. 6 t: u6 g, L6 H# t4 b+ m/ }& T3 z- F1 Q$ U" O 6 ?. O ^% ^: m' [7 p) @5 `0 a2 M. n8 c' A % @* O# x7 z1 U$ [8 c3 s
Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004