) x9 ^4 L) D& t; G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? ! B3 p W I$ W8 s; D4 p a2 m- R( X/ W& k/ ]7 f/ Z
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。 - A% [! |- {/ q2 I3 b3 ^! ?: E, |* | R8 |) D2 _, S
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。 0 t* ?+ m/ S: _' N3 B } , o0 U+ a4 S# M0 e: _6 s一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。3 v7 ]: s2 J) W0 ~5 G
/ i: O, ~6 n) X% r: r# e1 G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。+ B+ q; r3 Q1 O( `% D2 L
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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。; x1 B6 Z3 n6 O7 M8 x @( D. s4 s
; v# @8 N' l+ E' `& Y# l, E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…….. I( I, _- C' ^0 o, B
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( f! Q' g: d8 ^Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 4 _- Z# |; H5 O( [9 K
$ m1 l0 Y* i; G- t+ rCalifornia'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.7 a' l# C9 P/ [& ?6 L6 p
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Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.& ^$ u1 {4 e9 z5 }
0 F/ d+ ^3 B* ?I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.9 S' j: a9 B8 d3 v" K2 _
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What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. ; L$ a% g# {; M1 S$ i* i5 K: g' {; H8 Y4 o
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga." B# C5 m: A5 t. v6 t, h
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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.2 k% v) I L C
% @' ~. ^% S- T" ]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.1 O) g0 n+ r5 |" b9 B8 F! w
$ I5 S1 M2 O) |+ J5 C2 e3 k# }) |Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.6 g0 l0 i& G& u( m
) w b4 i$ N/ h4 l9 }, ZFantasy " N2 s. W5 Z$ u* M - V) q4 T$ o" s5 c4 N1 N/ N4 r$ Q( dThe 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./ P4 X% Y& V( U' ^
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue. ! F, [! {! v" H9 @& T ! J! O# f- J5 i. o2 w! h& QLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. / ^; @# w3 J% u) H2 ]2 R2 P& f4 h6 d
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.6 T% }' p, r6 r% o" l
: k& m1 {8 r' C7 s5 xAnd the economic downturn does not help.; M) F* v& K4 \1 G: C
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"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. " r- g+ U* [# X8 X+ H $ |0 |& g( ?/ `" z" ~' O( n+ \The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.8 M- c4 r6 P- |$ C f* e
' q7 p% _4 } L) B; N% P/ _For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.% q' D* J7 J3 E' T
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Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set./ X* A, L2 m, C8 `$ C1 m- n
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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. , f8 @5 _; [1 h. d2 c5 a7 | }* N) R1 E& E# `
Gonorrhoea9 [( U9 D( Z: J9 Q v
6 E! @4 H0 P, J" YBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. + z) \4 Z( k+ A; R# W* x B! z. J3 ?4 r/ Y/ Z% T. L
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. % }. w0 G; D1 U: V& V# G" V3 g Z& W9 C9 t o, R
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. 9 t! S& K$ j" U2 L& u" P, b, u) |4 m! t# p, S9 q' z. H3 h. I& ?
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"' ~1 A, Q6 U0 d$ o8 f7 U8 @
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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.' I& {/ `* B! }$ F6 C6 `$ q
! \ ]. U( \4 J p' Y3 M. VEach day would be 15 hours long. 7 M- P* o" p( U3 z 2 f! S3 x5 K% |0 |' A"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.8 j9 t' } `2 i l5 M2 C' i/ o
5 J4 n; ? ?* ?4 @) x8 v"You get used to it," she smiled.+ j0 f/ x6 n7 z, O
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"- r% Q9 ?" I9 _, I3 l E
! `; N0 {) X" s( B! C, G$ a2 L: \"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." # x+ Y9 `# ^! d' U3 ~ ' P& S: N, r* `( h6 LThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. : a: i9 {( n( C5 i7 q$ F 7 m9 o b( c2 i4 W3 g1 A2 ^Expensive lawsuits 7 I0 U, ~0 a9 g Z 5 p6 l( w" [' X$ b* F, \2 n; C0 kIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. . T. Y# A0 s. ?: I( [& ?# C( Q( U6 g( z p3 U
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. # ?2 e: B% _2 I. Q7 M. D% L5 A! z* B' `) f+ U# E0 y( T! A7 [
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. ( ?, s* S- R: P. a3 |" p0 W6 g8 Z ?+ c3 u" C$ U' Y
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. ) j/ C, V! v4 }# N9 q; ~/ l$ j # N: M9 k6 M5 v6 u/ u"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" 6 B% _# v4 N) U ]) Q9 r! w2 U+ x! @; K1 T
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. V1 _/ _/ a/ {4 C
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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?# ?" Z S! a" D z: k1 W: @
, E0 C! d. I7 ?8 x9 h& r* QThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. : ]4 x6 |- L$ e# X# ?4 I; ?' Q , k# I* U' Y: t: Z/ {* t% aIt 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. & O; }6 C {, y% K7 J7 M1 t; ?; _# P8 ~3 O' U- E6 `6 p; [% r
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.+ }# f7 l+ D* c5 D. F
( W5 e$ `7 M& v; d% k8 v; u; o! ?The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. ( I9 m# j* U0 e* d9 x ; R' V* Z3 ^* }2 K# m, R; }1 tThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. 9 }) v) j, P! q. L$ K% Y( I6 J( E& M( J2 T& l
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. 9 d' _- v; D0 ` q. V- L1 M7 `( z ( b" g9 |5 a8 } ) m2 C" L/ B; i8 r, ?6 o+ r8 B U- x7 B* |, J! q( h& ?5 R! G; h# T9 I6 T
Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004