) s! E, b! p. G3 c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。” 4 D5 _) Z$ ]. x$ a + t2 A4 ^* g" [7 P" V: ?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。 ; w$ y+ d: _7 z2 Z; P' l8 P/ g9 M1 N( u' U: c
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。 1 R9 i2 ~' L! K1 Z% y- N9 T7 D不戴安全套的权利 6 M% p! b( |& n+ B ! z3 P3 }. I* @! e* V* S, t: Y3 u/ R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。 ; t( u: w+ W( w W& j2 D2 E4 L+ u 2 |0 Y* @# K* A1 g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”?& d( ?8 v9 F' P
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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。# u& V0 A( d% J
$ T N" {7 w1 ?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? * M% I+ ~5 { i7 O) a$ R! G7 i4 o, F$ g/ `: I/ f+ H5 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。& v( d+ }' q, c& K- J
& E. H/ g$ \! E. R0 N3 a z4 J, k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。 & q; T" }1 ~3 `" k' L3 N+ N9 h& V, m! n* L6 N" ^1 g4 {5 f/ ^
一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。 * K. E% X* I2 D3 L3 K( k% Q6 [* t& D W. r/ _1 D8 e$ U1 K
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。 3 R0 c: b! ?( e( C: C5 C; |7 k) a5 u. ]
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。 + ?# Y, M( g% H4 z g# N! H. a: F- ^+ ~9 f
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 D# w2 R. Z2 H; S) X
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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles I8 Y3 W# u2 r; L: K$ M
0 l3 ^4 \& B) o. c1 y5 oCalifornia'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. ( n E% B, N+ d7 G $ v5 G; ~+ U- MLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. * g& _7 U. n, q8 Y. h - G7 j( } I) ~6 G. @. z \. bI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things." O- `/ H1 J* ~6 ~6 l& ]! o$ |
( H- X8 Q6 S! V0 c5 b% _* e% \What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.# F) E& Y1 ^' T D/ t' ^, H m
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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. 8 j3 A5 t8 ]$ L4 U, w2 u- M& M$ n J3 J) `4 J
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.1 G/ |# H7 U3 Z% M1 H9 G
) }/ l1 N' S3 oThis 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.2 k- u& L8 Z' p. T- B3 |/ n
0 J8 ^# `& K- B9 C! yOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.: d( K( _& o9 @/ i( ~) j
" E1 G9 k% \; WFantasy 9 f7 U1 c! F8 B 1 D& L0 v* I9 }8 ]; eThe 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.+ E: |0 V& d r5 w9 W
( w' s# |7 f% l( Z6 p9 gThe problem, increasingly, is revenue.# h( o, w* v* s& o5 O3 t) I
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Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.. {; U- N j3 R0 g p/ G r
8 Y: J8 ]( |3 E' D! V8 r, J7 G+ [DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. 6 i2 p$ q, {8 I! S6 k$ r f' s$ u. A
And the economic downturn does not help. . Z1 k0 M0 o& { K2 S; c+ a. o, ]# a$ T; [
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.3 C) O% z# t$ e$ x% {1 ?9 A
8 n& b( u5 S- b4 a# z- RThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. ) z% l6 P N7 y6 Q/ M% c: C6 b 9 h3 @/ u% a( x- C3 e: x5 `/ FFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. 2 X' @) _6 K. U- N# x7 d6 Z ; t; {' m+ [: A# SHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. - m& _$ g; d& o2 P- [& a! A2 h# O& u; l' W
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. * M) K6 ~# N3 J! d2 n* L: I$ C$ c' { C" ~# T
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$ g2 [: z3 {5 P" R8 h/ R. F6 @! yBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. 5 a& C& O0 \1 B6 Y* I" ]& i# N! b5 z3 ^- |
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.8 K( ^9 K& a" W& w h
# t7 K' {! Y5 |. ^She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. & |" M1 g2 J# k: j6 Z( l3 h4 f% y& w
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" / P- A/ U/ }7 o' ], D# O : |$ D; I! ?# q2 D1 hHer 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. ' g5 V* [) s7 s# l6 a" Z6 j) p8 L, @7 T1 b
Each day would be 15 hours long.# \$ ?& P/ v6 C9 z
8 i+ v- r) h7 l: V- E7 A) U) Z7 k"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.1 c/ P/ F n$ K# o% l0 E7 s
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"You get used to it," she smiled.7 Y( n& z: i$ o' M
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"" Z7 H3 ~! J U
" a5 X$ d( l2 D, K6 C: W2 \" i) q"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." - v- t* G2 Y, g0 {$ [6 w; F% L+ F * F1 | q T# D8 ]There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. & J; |- c' V5 w2 ^2 ` " z" e; T5 l( o, g+ b# U0 LExpensive lawsuits! Y7 X# n7 C+ P8 L" O4 v6 _
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In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. t9 N6 _- ]5 y2 E1 L% [3 c. z# V
1 s4 v; C9 y- |1 z OA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. 2 C+ r! Z/ X* _( r/ b/ g0 I+ B, z8 |9 D9 i+ C2 L
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 d J( `4 q" Z# e) S( W# {% x
, J/ w& j# O$ e4 f, j& }# [' SNow, 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. / {$ H0 ~7 f5 H. w& Z" O) X 8 l1 \2 q" W. r; |% c$ Y( |"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" : X; |. V8 Y' G# B( Y8 O3 H$ M9 e& R- @% F& I# v" T' X7 h3 i4 {9 Y: ^
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. 8 N3 R2 [# X" d# M4 N; @ - ?5 `- J, ~, ~& f* 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?& H: b, w x. s; g6 C/ t4 t
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The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.: y6 @8 i S( _3 j2 w/ U
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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.' a. ]; i& l1 b9 u; ?0 D" l. _4 ?
/ Q1 C/ d ` uA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. ; E- l4 e( o" [) h- k- R% s& Z& O1 {
The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. " S6 [$ q% F4 S/ r# g( k: `, _5 k
That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.; U4 C7 e7 K0 d& [; C
* ?" j7 ]/ n& n) {$ j0 \9 oI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.9 t o# P/ O3 f* ]2 o! s
" n* ^, w9 A4 l) C- {) G$ { / e' | Z* X5 x& b9 C* o5 K- J" s$ L+ Y( c, T2 W0 e ' @) H0 z; B1 `. p0 I9 uCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004