3 u! O" a2 z' `1 ?/ j7 a8 ?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。8 e8 G3 H8 z- B
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我说,“你一定很累吧”?她微笑着回答说,“习惯了”。3 ^. N! y1 u" \# P `6 X: _' c# V& b
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我接着问,“那么,健康风险呢?你经常被感染吗”? 1 Y. f' K1 T' ^% }9 F) K! w " S2 O% B: a4 ?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。”6 m6 q: h. L$ M
* A) n3 v3 m+ \) B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。1 ~2 Z. a Y, }9 p# [) T
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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。- D* W7 W& d6 F! f( P
不戴安全套的权利! q, [% u v2 o/ M+ ~3 v
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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。 1 p0 y: A( h! A4 |& e6 C. D# M2 a9 b4 r4 G: N9 @, {+ y
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”?+ `) |9 R/ X; P$ N3 \. F, b9 _5 f+ e9 D
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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。 4 C6 `8 o/ s* _1 } . b* ~+ L- }9 K& v$ W4 S' n; j& i7 |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? 5 D& K( S0 @3 R8 F 1 A- o5 g- L% P$ f; p+ u% O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。8 x( f2 s/ T; p: }+ K1 x6 C
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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。 2 ~' x- s* A/ a5 m7 S3 Z& t, B. N9 m; `, k4 {! |
一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。: L9 j- G& v* p V+ j
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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。 7 l! g( Y6 B/ G9 r" G& q' \ F! D& U% V8 G5 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。 8 \* k& t( F' O" l' u2 _* l$ O" Y$ ]. _$ s! n& N/ W! V: 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…….3 `( _. v/ R6 P4 W' u2 |
- r* t) P, J" {; c% y5 n* D1 @: t% H7 x - f8 l9 R( ]' S* Z9 G g8 @* R, |Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles # d; P8 V. X3 l m0 Q/ t6 z8 K" c
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California'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.1 e S2 u! m* `% N4 @& u Y
8 X2 @. R7 ]8 e, f. X6 g6 ^Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. 7 ]/ r, h* w ]7 x1 p7 b9 H0 y* s$ X' K- {. D1 }
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. : J% H: X' M' O/ \/ u" x/ Y# r/ j7 c2 m/ k7 d
What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. " F+ h& F) J5 Q2 w* p . @0 O7 o# P" U9 k8 e& ~8 kThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga." b: M1 S% A" B+ {
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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.* r Y' ^) C6 e; I; w$ X1 \, 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. $ ^) M( t0 E, u7 U v, d: b 9 r$ t' A: b1 a) c( UOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.2 Y! ^( |$ i: v" s- W [! E
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Fantasy 6 Y! j7 _) v+ q% N/ Z7 M8 S # u- O' h4 @' `" E# c) x5 s. f. c) \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.3 }' j3 N/ z2 _
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue. # c8 U4 c2 {8 P: l0 \ ) |3 T i+ D( C4 s- ?9 K1 {4 gLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. ! A- z) M" K0 _ _' c, G7 y" x8 C5 b3 i# x4 B; B% X
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.6 G. p/ i9 r! T, z$ B2 T" d
( J; y4 c, v5 t kAnd the economic downturn does not help. 8 X [* X1 |. q1 Z% A' [! I( P ; t: I9 N: o/ o& y5 m, g"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.. L Q) }% Y# N+ x4 g$ N- a2 T4 j
% {! A. K' W* L# p% N0 m( D1 k9 ^The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.+ F2 g6 b( D; s
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. % c: W, X' ^3 \, ?4 s. Z X " S6 |; m; N5 ]9 DHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.2 K1 V0 }+ Y4 @% a8 \
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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. 5 n# ~$ g+ @, t- E# e( m3 L : i; \1 |) G5 MGonorrhoea5 v/ Z; N7 g9 h" T; P
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. 0 p2 C5 D' R' j0 R. Q* t& J' x + k- S1 q5 T1 b0 ]$ VA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. % J* c p0 g' _" [" h 2 ^5 ^4 L0 u5 ` }/ `. v0 M. KShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.: V7 J! g, h6 v5 o8 L
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"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" + L( @+ C- c4 S5 { - w' { Z4 l6 m- u0 B1 IHer 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.( y a/ Z- j" v v4 [
/ v5 i( \8 `+ L" Q' O- n4 IEach day would be 15 hours long. 5 M( y- h% W( S5 |" g0 z3 V6 J7 A; _* S, u G: v
"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.2 L3 l1 v( N$ Q" @
" Q8 w0 t( S. T* E"You get used to it," she smiled. . F, K8 o& G1 d* b7 ^* O" ?8 ~0 A+ c4 l- r% o# [$ B; p
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" 5 `9 _; @; s: n7 V% l - b7 f9 H1 L" a0 J"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.", H. f) U9 v0 p2 P K; L
4 g+ V( [; q! N% b( `" b. N( dThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.9 U; ]( p# g: @" D. ?4 \
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Expensive lawsuits 7 @/ [0 J0 A& A! y0 }5 S+ K, A" R7 A- k( o. P6 W/ h: ^
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. # p( |4 P# P! \! e9 R. i0 L0 S, Z/ V: X& Z2 S
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. 2 f, y& j4 `/ }; a$ U; A + ?8 [# @" Q. O: K; F: nIt 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. 2 s3 C& G% E* s- L& _9 n 7 Q9 v: j( q1 R6 d; S0 DNow, 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. + ]9 l9 l+ V* l5 t4 S6 }$ F% M8 g# j
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" 5 A ~! e4 K2 t5 {7 n( b 6 V4 m/ F* y# GI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. % D; X1 \' o0 G) F" V6 C6 i/ K/ z( R5 \
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' a1 d" W8 r& `0 @4 c& ` 8 V2 n# }3 O! P" j" I D# A6 _! cThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.; I8 F; Y) I' s" O/ r, P, }2 l
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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. + t" j$ j. p5 d0 j. S- j3 z; V3 N2 `2 F4 {9 V0 y
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.3 s) Y: u; B( h3 U2 V
0 {" ^! t( u, yThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. ! ? V3 `2 q0 W2 m9 ` a 2 V* h( Q0 W5 A+ g' FThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. , I3 t# `! c; A" k! d' r " H% X5 y" x1 C9 v! Y+ ^4 T& j3 QI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. / \; H L! x+ |! S4 T0 E/ G. m ! J y6 Y8 E( F* t. T. H $ u, d$ S. y" A4 G. V: c2 k8 M$ p% K' ]1 k, C5 y
Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004