+ u6 h1 \* G; X7 Y6 @$ Z# S9 E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。 7 j2 N+ ~7 S: k2 K Y 9 q4 }% I) g. C3 e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”？ ; q" {- D; y" X7 {4 A: i" S1 J- O0 R: j6 g# ?+ b+ D+ r
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。7 F: u$ y; x* ?( w8 F
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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？% c1 g2 V& ]& k2 W% V
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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。0 q( }; E. Z0 f9 ?9 c
R- e) N. C) _. E% |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$ h: q! Q0 O/ e7 U) Q* R, p! v& R2 u2 G
一些演员私下告诉我，他们盼着立法赶快生效。 # u* x5 ?6 w/ `: V0 m+ v3 ~9 J" l T' p, U. b7 F1 P& M7 u
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 L; W! _" H$ V( Z
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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。 ) w/ F+ |+ Z0 G5 c- g8 `! g+ S+ p7 L N6 o- V E; l. s0 D/ }
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……. 3 x" r& M/ o5 Q) f- ] l$ \% B6 {/ a+ x5 r F) g: l8 P
1 A2 [% f; w0 j; R3 cCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles ! S& Z( j7 G1 F# L4 J- e1 M z$ }, c2 a8 d* p. p/ o' MCalifornia'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.) S, a, G( o2 f2 K
& Z& w' ^8 h3 D& tLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles./ c0 h9 K5 \' b4 I' E$ W/ D% [* W
9 A; ?" L' ?( f$ j% b$ O: Z# AI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. ( L; z) s; j- l, ^. k5 S* ~( k. [7 A$ ?5 q
What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect." Y$ l4 e+ X {3 a
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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.& q9 }, [2 [# f( g. Q2 K" c
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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.- w& f* a3 B! b) c4 K) n" E
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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." x6 W9 [! I) g9 y. A( d* \9 B: W
r+ w6 Z" e' N% ]4 @# \: z. XOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed./ l6 `- F( |+ P8 Q' c) l" L6 {: L
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Fantasy " l, |9 h" |: E1 Q2 A# _' h4 }* k: e+ @* f. y
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.9 {& ~. i& G0 M( g& D. C
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue. 0 b6 S. @; X1 Z9 y7 ?1 M# S$ O( b) F+ G; j8 g
Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. 6 C! V* i/ ?7 c* @2 N3 U $ @4 M' n" S0 H7 ?! ?9 Y2 b- X# PDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. # U, l5 @4 D; f9 [0 Q! t, w2 a$ K! } 2 c$ N1 x' \0 ?! k3 pAnd the economic downturn does not help. 4 m9 |* H0 Q& R0 q5 i + z& ^7 ?- H, m' [4 J"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.5 E8 ?9 A3 m7 \2 L
4 S0 @3 ~8 k4 D0 n0 DThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. - a7 K7 N- ]# F: ?( Y& q . \7 q$ e8 j4 t; n; j0 q( w. AFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.8 {) s h: @1 w
2 g& m$ r7 D6 y+ H0 bHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.5 h4 C( `! Y% S1 f
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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.. f+ D$ \, Q$ {* f- g
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Gonorrhoea9 f8 V( t3 n' D0 t: P1 q! j% ~. o: q
: ]: ^) |; B* S8 d$ o: WBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. . w, d0 u3 `5 x; R. w& z ; j; z+ M. c" A+ ^7 @: UA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.+ ?5 f; F# b( Y1 q: @4 _ J
1 J; s% T. P# z0 L/ g. T- gShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. 6 d8 Z8 V$ P6 s5 B8 e0 F$ l* w8 H& Z7 l% c4 e9 w
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" ) @# c' [" C/ _& S4 y+ _6 x : l6 n) n6 l0 h% Y2 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.( |$ l7 m, S+ H; f
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Each day would be 15 hours long.' U# U! }3 r( @5 V1 _6 }+ [
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"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.: k% A9 C$ U& K2 l* i$ C& R* n. {
% l: q) R* ]7 R% C( p"You get used to it," she smiled. $ C! n; d* g+ [2 V6 Y [( h6 P3 o$ Q) V7 k' Y
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"2 s- ^5 l4 C5 o3 P5 J
) u7 N8 x7 z! \9 k"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." ( p- J& F' `( e, G 1 ~+ v, p( C- v4 B2 v1 r* VThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.5 O' a( w% ~ J& w# ^3 S
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Expensive lawsuits4 q% P# y& ?/ l% V. U
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In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business." g2 ]) h) o) c' N y5 l
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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. 8 B& r$ q/ d: \1 Y" {/ X% A% h; X" \% A5 B F6 S
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.7 E5 b. K6 X& R @
, I7 [" m4 [8 |$ J8 YNow, 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.- q9 }+ P h2 h' W
8 e9 A+ f0 W9 l0 ?9 R"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"7 c5 j F: z9 @
" G8 ~! I$ ?* A- ZI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.6 G* r3 A0 z+ V
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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?* i$ A( [; w; Q' N/ G1 u9 R: ^
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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. 7 y- J9 _: W- X 2 e' s9 A) |+ J" M- \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.! F/ ~: f6 O2 m" N
' Z1 {% }7 }5 i0 E# s1 sA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. z& v" Y( q) \; X, [9 D
1 o- i% B2 \6 r% B" MThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. . g( s" U' O: {1 X3 P6 r& C/ t. j" a; X6 y( l7 y) L
That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. " T* ~" g/ i6 Z1 H9 v2 i# B* {$ I G) [5 Z4 S/ }# l% B! r6 e8 @# v, Z
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.- W0 O8 h$ Q$ w/ }' s2 a
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7 `* w5 j( L/ g " E) C7 a$ o6 d# }Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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