* x7 j+ a9 z& l* j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。' {& f: D6 P4 ], f" |$ n2 N
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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？+ N2 D% n0 b: r& m8 y7 a
2 U4 q5 c8 Z6 P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。 % H* S( g, X { ^" ?4 C1 E. y$ d& Y6 H0 _2 i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。- J, _5 t/ I5 n9 `/ ?
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一些演员私下告诉我，他们盼着立法赶快生效。 ! c) K/ U( J$ h! X2 o0 n$ D: S& Z$ B. _+ P8 c" I+ z( h3 C) l
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。4 s) K" f- T/ ]
5 z- B! y) N2 g5 J6 p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。* Z' ~! o. D, P2 h
+ r4 s4 c5 m. N6 }" x5 t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……. ( T+ {( p+ ^1 L, s4 Z ! t. o# x3 ^4 X( x- q9 N+ D/ E. L * C. c7 Z3 j$ x" V4 t- R+ A! MCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 9 J! R- r2 ]9 Z" c1 x9 D
1 Z3 L0 a+ E& u8 ^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.- k) W) [# T! Z8 c1 Z" [$ b
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Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. y& k$ y- h I/ I7 |7 b 4 Y3 U! [: I$ S- {I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.7 p3 I+ G$ |+ q! e* r+ a6 O8 }
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What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.2 X- }- d! [- @0 E; V
' _/ h. ?7 P5 G; TThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. ! P% e- m" g2 b/ p5 t8 Y! r! h4 a( S$ N/ K' u! L
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.' ?2 m. f. h% o' w6 {8 @( H
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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. ) b" h) U" ^' }% k7 g! p$ {! L) a/ f0 }1 P: c) |" Y1 x) m3 _
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. 7 M7 A d* D4 n3 s( A7 v" [! R2 I+ g9 w( r' F
Fantasy! M' `2 z/ B* t1 p* p3 n5 p2 B
5 g1 n6 @7 i2 S( T# v/ f( IThe 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. % x1 h5 I) I: M0 M 6 Q# s5 P& t% s+ m. XThe problem, increasingly, is revenue., Y" G3 ]0 _* e' F
9 l0 `, W8 B6 \' wLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. . y; Y" A( a" C4 n: X& v" x2 \ ! G- s- n# m/ a# nDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.9 h S3 C3 z' T I/ G7 R! E
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And the economic downturn does not help.6 \2 i( s( s# E; c4 q/ v+ x
. B' W6 r9 v0 i; U"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully./ S9 C+ i% R# X" z9 k0 X* ? \# Z
" E3 f. \1 k8 }* ^! VThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.4 w% x* h+ B+ p5 h6 A8 {
4 O2 [1 o) I) O& g1 k0 wFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.6 o$ U' d. C; j8 v! ~
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Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set./ P) A- P( j e4 Z( a7 H5 l
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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. , ^/ O& ^6 |9 {- z2 N) n7 Z4 `- ?/ g
Gonorrhoea 4 h' ^8 X3 f+ U- _+ K- F& l6 Q$ Y/ H$ T6 M2 X# P1 Q
Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. y9 D7 H' |8 v/ W# b
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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., O# @( [ t e1 c
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She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure." [' d, A* n1 D2 d3 l6 _9 P
- r- R" j! S3 U4 z. ?- r"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" $ P% A2 z$ l. L+ R7 f' p" C# C5 a( w" F9 b! x* o i+ j, @
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.# A2 C! q+ B3 O! G& ?6 n, i0 K
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Each day would be 15 hours long.# t! e# b- [" R9 s* N' ]% J. J/ L
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"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.+ X, k, o0 X* O2 {; K9 `/ @
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"You get used to it," she smiled. " T/ p. u% ]7 d- d' s: T9 a$ ~; N, G2 n; B
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" 6 x: b- n b0 c6 z; ~; _, |4 o5 \: ^5 Z; N& w
"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."# w2 h6 p* n# i: i4 E9 G8 ]
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There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. 1 h0 j, t& t& {; n; h# [0 R, g( T
Expensive lawsuits 0 u7 l8 v: q! p C3 s6 ?1 N0 C3 m9 @- N$ x" P: a" o
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. 4 s4 Z, q, C, ?; [1 j# F 3 u+ [# K$ R& v5 P* oA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.2 A) L! `! B* {( a& v
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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.9 ]) T& k- V6 R
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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.! `3 q: y3 h6 k! G0 ~
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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?"% Q+ R0 x. u/ W6 V4 p4 Y2 z
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I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment." Z3 I4 m% v$ j1 L7 x
% Y7 M: e8 Y) r& n' ?' i3 dBut 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?" F \3 V y) b( U( R7 W1 q
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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.8 c5 `4 f3 D' T" n5 I, b& Q. r, }: c
# k0 p0 V3 f% s% tIt 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. ! P1 \% v4 V/ t$ a" r1 P' n i# O" I# l8 g/ M
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.8 G) X. K G- r, J
I( D4 I* Z- }! W# sThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants." ?9 h2 \0 w3 l/ P( g. z
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That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.( x( k6 _' u. a2 q9 |9 C" M% {4 Z
- S3 l3 y1 G/ E; W! ZI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. 9 p. n+ \- N7 I( ^( | * r6 D* E& s. i9 E* W; f4 Y: U+ n/ U# ]( p; W* K; e2 u' I
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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