" r" w/ d: i; [2 S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。1 T0 K2 h. f) B
- G I. X! i0 O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? 1 d" ~: \$ K$ a' Z) G8 K+ b , w8 M9 s6 n2 {! B g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。 7 q5 E4 L( U1 l. P% \& g* P; u2 b W1 J/ L3 \
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。$ Z' J; [" E. e2 c! a8 c) u8 l
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一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。1 x4 X+ ]- e. w' G: V4 g0 @0 i
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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。1 N5 w* v% _3 ^9 P, S$ J
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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。 ; M7 Q2 W; W+ n$ P ; t2 y p1 k0 E9 W. K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……. ( o4 d% J; J; O" V) w6 q a, `4 Y 6 v% C+ W# _/ x. u1 i( |; n' L; Z4 U6 D P3 }, `1 T. _" K$ @) M' L/ M) h
Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 4 b; k! e3 D% Z ' G+ ]- i/ s6 B$ G7 h3 R0 ~4 L) `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.3 q- \' ]+ n2 P2 Q M& L
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Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.& Z8 B6 C( D8 i) Z' g1 Y
5 n! x2 U; U) a7 b8 u7 r: zI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. x$ y" x @2 A
' j$ \9 ]7 i/ w" H& f) vWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. 6 [6 p; |2 p& U# E' ~- \1 A9 g* ]. u( z9 W
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. ( o0 I5 f6 ]9 i) K: r+ O( m6 E& T' O( m; 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. % N$ u( H( i3 F1 e% r+ h + O- G; F; ^* F( MThis 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. ' W: u' Y x) ?4 Q4 J* I$ Q6 P: f) x& s3 G2 c
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.+ e! G5 O6 M* }
3 X' F2 n* J ?& x$ qFantasy 0 _% f% N; Z' W5 T$ i9 _ b4 w9 ]/ h0 U) C; d* b4 Q
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. 7 ^6 K7 @2 _% j+ A" ^ ; n! {9 x% E' G) [The problem, increasingly, is revenue.8 T/ v: N2 Y, M' p8 ?: x2 q% I3 J: E
D* E/ k5 R$ O4 I" P5 y: _Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.7 S: J0 a" L! [9 r A
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DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.+ u* ]# H1 k( A6 ]% B' H
6 U+ d# p$ m+ Z/ x7 @And the economic downturn does not help.; B' \% J# O) ^/ \4 I9 W+ f
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"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully., }+ x, J0 b+ }' B$ d
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.5 _! m+ O0 R- C& S$ b
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. 4 }, M9 x" z1 x. O D6 \/ j $ _2 \6 S$ _6 x! i: P0 KHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.- D7 e2 `* @/ R1 j1 m; i2 P1 ^
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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.) T W% D( j5 U+ u
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.+ s4 j4 r8 k) w3 s# \/ l
6 `. Y# E. `4 l9 q! i& rA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.* n+ @6 r8 p6 C# R
$ T- m9 F7 P# u7 T/ x6 R% A; XShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. . j9 C. C, c* v) D3 U7 Q* m0 O 1 V' H2 P- O" e, p"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" * ?; h. f' d6 ]) k( A , X% z# M; b% D7 N. U2 [6 V' B, @4 [( _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 s. \4 W, A; B
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Each day would be 15 hours long.5 U: [+ F8 L5 x
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"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.- Y) B: I- Z& i. D \1 _
S) b) z4 O- L, R- |"You get used to it," she smiled. # ]+ f* c- ~; S - l% q. O* F. h5 m+ k"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?": s' k9 D! {3 _3 d; @
( d8 D# m( A- K2 d, x O9 S4 o"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." # M/ a; m" T4 N" ^8 E7 q9 S, e# v3 c" ?! A' h6 l v
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.2 D. t# g% O% i }/ o; X3 k" A
/ q% c! k6 E: D# |; u/ o9 }3 wIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business." u `, E5 [/ ~8 M, O& Q1 c
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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.5 ^8 [$ j9 \7 @; P& `2 y2 V0 Z4 W5 q
2 r" Z) G9 F" J5 c: KIt 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. 3 K8 L$ ^% Y4 G) G+ t) ] ' b! U5 g- n8 d9 [) c1 M+ cNow, 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. ' m8 |! x" e+ Z: k2 }7 n* }1 W# R( h" ?0 m3 a( {
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" ( B2 Z& J0 S5 d, L: _5 u9 v7 O V2 L& e8 n
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.: F4 |2 N7 @9 G( O
3 n5 [3 f7 E" M4 f/ fBut 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?1 b+ @) p8 a+ w$ 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./ _+ j; B- T- b) ? `2 b/ V7 o
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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. * {% F4 e6 F; Z 9 E* _2 i( K0 x5 [# s) kA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.$ U& v- n5 P8 S
+ G$ [/ R7 M% A& MThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.0 _6 E7 L6 Y! K0 b- J3 V
4 U/ ^+ A/ q/ G. z! c+ pThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. 7 S1 ~6 n% j" u: i' c% h: n% t2 _, ~ ) l! y/ s. P9 R3 a' s) H% X( EI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. 6 n0 z# O9 A; F5 I ! Q# _( j& t, W# F& u 9 O0 r8 t3 l$ B* `7 }# S2 m1 L% ]0 \; G% u0 `5 E6 Z 6 h" r* K1 g. q; k
Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004