4 s) G) v3 F" O! y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。! t6 |* A3 n& [; Z, j
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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?) C8 z* _( E+ D9 t
' e. y, p9 ] F4 D( j2 ^0 Q$ D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。 & i; K9 l. B6 E' E + s' Y6 i5 \% U4 p. v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。 * D) ]9 F+ W m( U4 x: b* V6 _* D5 W$ A$ [1 B/ y+ p% d
一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。1 D& K! E' l& D. q% |
3 U$ W6 @) p. a& a7 v" I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 G% O4 s3 L* r6 K; @, l$ x+ E& r. z1 z2 F& d4 m
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。 $ T ?+ N( e# X1 P4 L. w6 V* J4 D/ t8 t$ |* a
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……. + X6 {; b! V3 w: `4 g" D) l ' ]6 d& m5 n& ~- }2 |, X- k 2 L" Q9 H- w. O* c) X, @Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles ' [% \6 x2 i' x2 O, n* M& x4 p1 p; b8 a' o* b
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.( @# R& b7 U! z& W1 T
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Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. 5 E2 ~) s: Y9 @: z2 p% i4 V; v : K( O9 L) [3 G: e, Q0 r3 xI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. , r' J% a1 l& k " ?' G2 t5 _1 o6 b: z& s0 T# YWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. 9 m/ c) ]- l% {" S$ U- X$ ^. @' w9 J' v
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. # ]/ X% Q5 [3 A& Y/ i1 ?3 {& W' C9 v7 C7 W5 ? V8 G, a. ^
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.7 G* Y3 U' J) [9 F! G
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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.8 J. u4 J2 @8 Z0 A
- U9 @4 P6 A5 B# w$ uOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed." d. }9 a5 T7 q% G$ T3 }
2 y! Q$ S1 c4 l" R1 r6 ~Fantasy $ u' e) G2 V' {( ?9 ] * y! l4 B, z d+ TThe 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. ) G/ I+ n t, R6 i8 g6 N0 b+ _3 k( h 6 e% u$ P! W( C v1 lThe problem, increasingly, is revenue.$ t/ g& I" t: S2 N* I& o) m O
% j; b0 L* T1 x' qLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.( u$ P- K* H8 v% L* }& P6 o
9 T: ^& x) J) e( O: Y3 y7 fDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. * a9 Z" v: \! D' d7 G - {6 s" G4 t" [And the economic downturn does not help. : I* n# _7 r4 \- X) w, y! X; ~ " [) W6 q% \( A1 u7 M"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.7 S+ R( E3 Q4 g. L
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.9 H) U a4 q( ]! Z m2 i
( h8 n$ B' B* ]$ |For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. 5 C3 W- O6 r1 B9 ?. H$ d% z9 w, \1 C6 a* Q
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. : _6 @% P( i* c8 d" u ; }$ ?3 H6 g3 @: XBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say. & y- Z6 k: m, z) _9 R W% Y! ^+ }5 x- n" U4 A9 w
Gonorrhoea - r5 t# {! j7 H3 W! ]) y! j, s, t+ x7 G5 p9 z6 x% N2 l
Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.2 E- \) @$ w Y, x2 x9 N
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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.% M0 w& U+ G) y! g) K* Q' m
9 }# |. ^5 K/ u2 kShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. : S. R+ F4 a6 I2 H. W W# ]! F. M1 L, B, ~' |
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" + H) ~0 s% T" K" q6 Q$ r, W' \; r: T9 k/ f( ~8 ~4 ~6 p5 z2 _
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.- M! v4 n8 s, u. f
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Each day would be 15 hours long. 1 ]+ ]9 I( M8 D! Q1 s8 a+ K, _ m' m: Q " e' h( t+ W' D. E6 N/ o"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.5 J3 c/ i8 ]3 }2 V8 `: E) a& f. Q6 K
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"You get used to it," she smiled.4 V0 P* }3 n& i. F, R
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"+ E4 G2 ?1 |. k4 }5 O4 i) p6 e
# n+ x0 u8 H: d"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."4 j- W+ x5 U+ d- S6 e6 }5 Q
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There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.- t7 o5 Y5 @: h7 ]0 a
( n S% M V3 q1 w! gExpensive lawsuits1 y2 [+ `; o) U- J$ `
# v1 G4 {/ M4 M* u6 n0 M, VIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.8 q, v9 l4 I) J r- K
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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.+ j/ a( N1 y* L2 F8 ]7 S& v/ m f) V
3 h3 h/ o1 f. F% I" |+ V' OIt 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.) u% [3 R& f9 _* |& f
) @4 N# P' U0 QNow, 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 |6 k* k0 u. s/ n" G1 g X8 ^. V- a
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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?" ! B1 A+ I# {# q: I% {& [& c! i$ d4 J
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. ! S9 S) O0 b% `: R9 k' ?: H 8 h% y' [$ }9 V* a/ ~ aBut 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?6 e+ P. C0 X1 d5 }2 O2 [
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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. " z9 m* B4 |6 F& u1 d ( N2 L" V9 p Q( A: }% h! S" E# {5 |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. - ~% G7 C7 N, ^6 G0 b% c 6 \+ H$ [2 a4 k& N7 w5 XA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.8 ^* R, j1 C$ `; K9 X, ^( M, z
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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. * @- p0 r4 X( B8 L: x1 Y; A! ?5 k
That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.0 }" `+ q( U6 B6 B3 ?# x! t& j
) a- R* x! r) B1 a& X0 z+ mI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. ; l; G' B+ p- {" l6 `" O5 k# }$ D6 _& T( L# }1 @0 P % n0 i" g" j0 I# L. S6 W) x7 g
/ C" h; P( H& _# G6 g 5 ^& P' \0 g8 QCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004