' J) F5 ]/ T0 e2 y- F$ J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。% Q. {: v! @2 S- q2 L' B, a
9 P( ~+ m/ N( @4 A3 K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”?5 y" R& W% K1 _3 g3 u" R8 h" F- B- r* b
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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。2 k( W: K5 [( A t$ X
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我说,“你一定很累吧”?她微笑着回答说,“习惯了”。 D h# R3 T# y' l % G3 X- e) g, _& K$ g/ m% d我接着问,“那么,健康风险呢?你经常被感染吗”?. j* r' u/ ?$ R. Z
F& W( i8 K, O( z' 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。”* Q$ @& T& a$ q; Y& F
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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。 , ^$ @2 r8 i, m a c0 P: E( i. a+ |+ G# z( J+ H* f8 `* F* d
1980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。* x. ~. s" `2 Y6 D3 Y7 {
不戴安全套的权利 $ E) e0 W' c2 v 7 ^/ a% G% s$ b F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。 . M8 U- w# r" B+ E6 ^+ s8 Z" F: D% [/ S4 E; [" l! Q
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”? ; p$ e6 U! a) R9 u; ?+ | - ?+ K. U; @% m. e9 K D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。& f( o3 [2 G7 S, j
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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? 1 l$ a/ Q: B4 V& v f. q1 t, O+ t* M3 P; p
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。. g! Y9 J1 v0 H, Q1 p) x# h7 k9 d4 V: g
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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。 4 O4 I X) b+ t5 w9 q* K& I 9 G3 U) ]( t$ n# l一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。 " b' B3 I4 E, o, @$ s1 W, N' a
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。 2 E% n& s& [# B; m9 H9 E# K $ H. z, T' z4 Z: l0 J% u3 ^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。9 ` t; J, w' _$ W3 \9 E' x7 M
- L7 @2 W0 u# E% Y M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…….5 Z" m1 @, R: o; w8 F5 `; M$ d+ O. y
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+ w2 `* u& S7 |7 l: o3 T# @Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles / n- D* P1 ^. K8 H% ^+ E2 V) l- k : G' ~8 Z; `( }) I( F( eCalifornia'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. 5 h; P0 L C$ b! R# z i' ~: u/ b, Q5 ]& U( K$ |# r
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. ~3 q% E: p/ B' _ 0 `, I7 ^1 z' [I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. 7 t9 S3 d: \ G9 i5 K/ W3 a* t0 z8 [ ; o- e# A% `# S% cWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. 0 q, {* z1 ]( F, _ . g3 n! R: ~! I( nThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. 6 {& U+ k+ M4 w7 T! Z ) x# Z' v+ X- X- Q d1 FPerformers 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.- G( U+ j ^: S( D5 i
8 h% E; j7 z' o2 J2 Y6 y7 o: GThis 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.# B! f# @! U, y7 X3 Z5 S' i
: h& v. \6 f$ L# E' hOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.) I z6 J! E: n" ~* d7 @% ?
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Fantasy. B" \( W+ R7 U; l2 L9 u" ]3 Y- k; \
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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. ; L0 t. q% r5 y* F. G 9 p8 A0 P4 w$ rThe problem, increasingly, is revenue. ' r. v0 G5 A$ p/ p' X/ |% _8 Y+ D* X" U3 y+ y1 a
Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. 4 B) O+ F% N3 w1 ~7 i, y6 l3 q7 X) q. D( \* F8 S, B0 a
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.2 A& H! H* g' U p* s
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And the economic downturn does not help. m$ z8 n" I" O; f8 x! S5 ~3 y ( I( r8 W8 E+ @# R"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. 2 J2 k8 H2 V5 {8 j! o; J9 u * Q: y) ~( U) A7 w# k) u+ PThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.8 N8 m. I) u! h3 O, f0 V% P
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. % c& h3 y2 ]7 d9 ]3 G7 N/ ] 7 b3 d" y' `4 g q& f) oHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.& w* `1 ~; @7 H7 Y1 o; V
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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. # O" g9 f+ T2 A* f$ l' B# V6 [6 U8 U0 m
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.7 t# l% V" t; S+ y7 o: K/ h. m
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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.9 b. y- {+ E. x2 ?7 f1 k
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She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. 7 h( Y5 B7 x# D/ O ' i( i. ]' G0 T# y; O- \"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"( k ]+ y o; b1 U5 m' h
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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.) R" c* E3 E" }/ c
) ]' L8 j) |: r( e. J0 pEach day would be 15 hours long.) ^" p% G! Q# z/ D
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"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. ; \& }$ p$ _! x 0 H. |3 H" H8 u% W# X"You get used to it," she smiled. * m2 f, V% \3 U3 b4 k7 g: V " f3 @1 r% A! _* b& |"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" * A$ [% d L& z3 q. z1 I, z8 R/ h* h) K1 ~, A* [" X) N' i% S
"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." 8 P) }! w& ] _ ?1 p7 y5 E- d# p3 i4 \2 \( W5 C( E; G
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. ( |' [4 T) y. X2 c! I; M * y6 l4 c6 ]5 o2 TExpensive lawsuits/ a. z5 Z/ H1 a- o3 g
0 D* J8 q% O) \8 g5 EIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.3 A0 }" J8 T9 D# v' s
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A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. ! Q" V: c* n6 W; B" s7 s( A ) |3 T# W9 ?5 A, LIt had taken a Supreme Court battle back in the 1980s to make porn legal in California in the first place, formally distinguishing it from common-or-garden prostitution.9 w3 G, P# ~8 P" _( e# `: D/ s/ y
+ ^9 C4 C0 P; ?8 p$ ^Now, many I met spoke of the right not to wear condoms as a key aspect of their constitutional right to free speech, as set out by the Founding Fathers.+ K# C, i; t6 v+ F. m! h
" `! M6 r( ~# \) o- B"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" 8 F, t1 w' Q( x6 X: q7 f6 S% T+ h1 {0 w; i- `- t
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.0 \, P) |+ N' V% Z( c, F4 o- ?
8 G# p# t! D# m s0 a9 D/ ?, cBut 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? 2 x) K; V; U, q5 d5 z/ k- a* V $ t3 C" t! {' RThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.2 ?5 K/ [' v: [) `* A
, ^- T0 c$ X' ^$ K) tIt 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.: K0 T1 Y0 Q' @
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A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.4 T/ C! ~" ]* I- S* K M0 b. A$ D- {" ^
& d3 j. h$ s5 I) R5 cThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. & C6 f% P% w: L% I7 O E5 t, f0 u- C3 ^' E0 R
That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.. t: b/ I7 |5 m# R* O, I# s# i% E( L
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain." R4 U" c$ R/ m a
9 H: ~, S) U+ o3 n 0 Z) G' m! D2 K( z- P" J% i' G' Y' O7 @ 6 s8 X: B% |6 PCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004