4 c1 Q' g( b& E( m$ `5 M; 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。” . x. V: T" b' x5 e/ _3 t J. m) G$ U2 |0 `1 I
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。8 V1 `6 s* b8 i ?8 e
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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。! J6 k% B+ w+ t v: O, d( X
不戴安全套的权利! P# E8 f: }/ ~8 _- K6 _3 i
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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。0 Z6 n0 X0 m) X% z! V
, ]1 x, S! E3 P# ]& C7 d0 X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”? Y1 y% M' X4 C. K
* J8 p' ^# T) _# T! 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。, u# _# ]3 p" H' a) X6 b# L4 F" q
/ L* \, _# G0 n1 v. u n$ L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? / y/ v1 R6 T2 i" U' k: y' |. y8 U/ T% s1 Q' Z' y
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。 . G! v, k2 }7 ^8 j1 t- U; z- O" _' d
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。 9 S$ I) W' a3 U/ G9 r+ |$ T" N4 ^" k4 `! [
一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。 " B/ W# q$ L3 @5 X" { P5 N2 z) b6 u! C: N" [" d
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 |9 e4 m6 z8 k7 t + x) r v7 S( C7 b5 X. U+ l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。 3 \% v8 Y: n }4 m$ S * P& e& ^0 s* p; {# ~6 V% C8 l! ?) F+ v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 g/ S6 r/ c8 h( p! k . X- x" B& ^) o; ~* P ( L4 I8 U. V' ]. [6 ZCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles * O& Q9 E& f2 Y- ^+ p" u% S9 E: m
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. 8 Y5 Z4 b2 F5 U/ h; [ _+ \ H# o1 ?, b! T4 D4 I: |
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. / { G, ~1 G- R1 }" H) K8 z3 u- q/ M- A0 l6 P& n8 [
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things./ z( n$ A( P1 d! p3 i
. `' I! U7 l( A5 E# y. E9 bWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.. U/ g U q8 z0 i+ U4 e
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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. ; S7 e5 Y F: Z: }* V. H( V - W2 V* E6 y3 E. U0 FPerformers 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. Z( p% e- s) Q* e) b" {
4 M+ s; ~0 L, a1 iThis 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.1 e9 ^7 w/ g& o/ F
- ^, J/ i: E. e! ^, o- j# I# aOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. 9 R4 x7 f# ]$ u% k4 B! j$ e' h o4 k {
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- G4 X2 j H8 g/ q5 S( I) pThe 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. ; r( z& t, M) @' a# j0 ] X. {% }/ M b- V4 X' |% Q
The problem, increasingly, is revenue." E8 ^5 g4 F5 Y% [( p
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Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.% h5 x* G" v4 s0 l, R; a+ E* C
& W% S6 c$ L; Y) rDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.9 V: @8 [& {( m% e+ S* P F: j
6 W8 M( y8 h! O/ M8 y8 ^& YAnd the economic downturn does not help. ( h/ N7 V, T x( Q+ o8 J % E+ |' T: V4 u8 P4 Q' ?"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.6 p9 q/ `+ |5 W7 j) |
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.4 a$ s8 a: U2 n$ ?# S+ Z( k& t
; a# S0 c; W G. dFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.- |$ j5 N8 w! K; n; X
/ P, ?: Z4 Z% [5 m2 c! y+ t" \Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set., U* j( ]0 c9 \1 o, k C- {1 B
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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. " c- E9 L0 p d/ @9 ?. e ( u+ H, P n1 a- O2 l# sGonorrhoea- s3 o" O) W! @/ D% J1 E0 _
4 T% l3 k. Y& A4 b2 O7 ]6 W* zBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. . M) `. Q* C7 V" q" Q2 @2 @# {1 p0 S" f6 d
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. 6 } z0 z& U1 K. O& F % C! w# L: A4 G* w. B! p `3 nShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.8 X5 E! u6 e4 m
) g5 ?0 @# V: W9 |# ]# U"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" o% {$ E, { O+ X- m + o9 R) r( n0 p' J# c8 \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. 4 s6 G. e; a' Q" ~+ a; G- X- j1 a/ }5 ~
Each day would be 15 hours long. S: \( b* q9 G' u0 V
; {, q% ^% U* |( U& F"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.$ J l- s& x7 g$ c" C2 Z
! M* D A# c& T"You get used to it," she smiled.7 V" K* R' T: G+ Z2 k) Z6 i
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"1 |& H) @, j1 f: d: G1 D
+ v1 d, E6 f, |$ u% 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." ; Q _0 Y: S1 ^) L! z5 z. W$ g6 c% X5 G* `4 U& K/ S
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.( ]- M& d }3 _/ `
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Expensive lawsuits 3 I; R- i6 H& x v9 e' t) p& A1 z! N6 K. M+ M 0 o' \2 f! f' {In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.( P4 n6 f {' ^# r+ Q
, u# ]3 [* M+ T3 r- b0 D* CA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.1 b9 v2 x7 E) Y" n0 l0 P u
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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. ( O/ u" z& E) H4 v# L* @' z e2 r0 e- N. Y# W& kNow, 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. 4 e4 u; D; u" L) S 5 q/ {7 b8 r8 g! R0 B' h+ A* a1 U"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" 3 D4 S# C& A0 g0 J# ^ 6 g* g7 N. A2 f# r. _I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. 4 D( x y g o) {- M# x. ]$ l+ E2 h* a( l
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? $ g2 ]- { J6 ?! a* k1 a 0 w! X; | s- v8 G' r* KThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.' @9 y( M. c& I! f
. `2 k4 W, T# y, aIt 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. $ W( v0 C [ W, ?$ q4 B/ t& e& G: W% i, [8 G
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them., G+ U7 [; `8 j0 R
3 w. D8 }; q- p2 Y9 C4 yThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.+ ^: e% |& X3 D; ~; C# P4 O8 V
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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. . B. d# E4 {1 {2 J $ b+ {& q7 k+ e2 `7 B7 {0 K% Z' GI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. 2 p2 q1 z( n+ G4 ~! x* V( U6 w / N+ c7 A, g- I/ ^5 Y- U( o' t - O- V6 {) l0 p; `$ D( n & m8 Z( D6 I" k# i2 C5 Z& V 8 m9 i4 O; ]& P/ w- t& E5 oCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004