! X( h- t N u. }6 b0 S+ l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。”# e7 N# }9 z8 r: u1 S {
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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。 " B' }( A8 \* S ! A, q, ?$ E o# c1980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。 + t$ Q; Q/ p9 P+ q( J不戴安全套的权利4 F K. v, Q( P- `1 U" g
* O7 w. {* s' J& w3 M( \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。. ?- w0 Q$ d' x% d- ^5 W0 v! |, S
0 J. p; p) O+ 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”?+ b' w% {3 l" Z2 a5 a7 n8 c. Q
% V( z1 ]+ p+ l* A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? . B7 s, F- f$ @9 y2 h7 j+ i+ h) U2 G . u% ^ p& D" v! A. U- I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% B7 q' d. B% q" T
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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。 ( N6 ]( F, c6 A % [# e. i9 f7 b' W6 L一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。) N" R- @" z) w
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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。 * _! N- b$ o% t9 R # p% Y" b# ~& v8 _- v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。 ) g3 R+ t- B7 O7 n& R' Q : u3 o" {8 A! }2 [9 u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 |- {- Y; |0 W# U0 c; k 5 F/ r( Q" d, `/ ?" y 3 ^1 x: D1 U' X8 QCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 4 b2 f5 ~6 U4 G4 B1 H; J1 Y& { 4 p" F# @- Q( v8 g: u: WCalifornia'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.* |. L# H9 O4 R; n f
* C7 V2 |6 Z3 @' H2 ]' f, ~Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. . I, c, J5 B+ s \; ^* I* p* @9 m( I9 D a9 E
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. 9 L( M1 X' I7 ^1 i& ? - _; D0 z5 X3 e2 ]1 ?What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.7 |( N0 ~9 Z, F0 u
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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.$ `; A/ \8 c, b. @2 O5 f
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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. 4 t+ {7 N5 \# u: a! o$ @ 9 b1 ~6 a1 S& sThis 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.8 g. ^/ R7 @' \: q: M, T6 |
$ Z. }1 V% g" A; O7 h: UOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.2 m! l5 \0 g4 O2 }
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Fantasy; }$ v7 J Q% O9 B: F
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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.' s5 {) j) g( y
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue. 9 Y/ G* j) v. Z0 S& a% j; o) V; }. x2 `; e& }' Y) n+ ?: e( n) j
Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. # u6 l5 N' Y. R6 i; Q3 q7 C. I8 u) P/ A" Z; z/ d/ i
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. : [4 l e9 @1 u2 f( H . q8 F% u( n. R: w6 NAnd the economic downturn does not help.* S1 @$ q3 T/ r6 u5 J
2 B: M7 ^ o1 s9 R5 U"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. 8 @' A% A5 E5 Z) V' d4 J/ ]! L1 V% e6 q( R
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.2 G8 a% c; ]" E3 l! C
% L6 o4 [. q* q1 iFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.* p' v6 N* P% i* M$ N
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Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.- a+ k( f* _' }4 o
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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.% ]2 R- @, U V( J
" n5 I4 I8 o0 q* l0 e* sBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers." J' H0 t) k% E( D2 f; G, p
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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.4 X( Q$ q- O* w1 J( o( {
9 W9 Q* q0 g2 zShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. 9 z, E3 b, n7 B4 R; {, f# \# o 9 w6 u: b/ @3 d/ O"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"" m$ q% P0 c: O* ]; W7 t/ z8 g
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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.3 X7 k$ ]( H6 L
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Each day would be 15 hours long.8 ?5 p3 O3 a$ k) R# f3 \
! ^) e! R2 Z* r( V; K7 @+ x& A' ]"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. ) i8 A6 N$ P! \$ N/ I# [ b ! A" {0 C2 @/ F- |( m"You get used to it," she smiled.. b4 R3 I7 O1 }
' C* y" ^* `. _) K"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"1 ?4 A! o2 y0 A* E3 `* p7 }6 `
- E) m7 v: n, |9 l: 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." 5 @" ^9 ~8 i3 o+ C& C5 k4 j" D" ]7 x5 x
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. 1 r1 {# q5 [4 D# C! I$ c) M5 x4 V
Expensive lawsuits 3 V* g: R( B/ {/ C, `: D: i! S , q0 g; t8 g9 B- S. XIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. 6 F/ M; X& O, G" K$ Q6 i; R. ` # Q2 a7 k, ?& G3 ^A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.) S% X3 [8 ^8 D) n, X2 Z
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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. : }' f J8 X& W2 I& K, T $ c) w/ W, a6 Z# n5 ~9 g6 _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.: e/ G3 n3 q8 Z1 W/ Y+ m) y; M5 C
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"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"" k4 L- X) D5 A% \3 _$ ^6 x8 F
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I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.8 M; {1 M" ?6 l3 O1 m9 N. Z& P4 e
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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?" y: R! b5 {, y0 e- e+ h4 I' o
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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.0 z# `5 X3 Z7 c
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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.8 L, D T9 D) K
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A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.3 d8 k9 O% n$ w; s8 \- {
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The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.) e' c5 R: Y5 T5 q. a* O
' S# n- H( V7 w7 j! ^0 xThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.1 e* S$ t; O* @5 p3 r4 `+ F
/ @) C2 N8 `) ~4 f8 K- cI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. . {+ q l% K& i' O2 v 9 v8 B5 ^" @. @3 s! Z. l# h* w7 f* |/ R1 ~: S
3 S! L/ k* y5 o0 ?+ ^! S 7 O# T, z0 g& Z; [2 RCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004