& W% R* z% z/ c8 ~9 k0 O我接着问,“那么,健康风险呢?你经常被感染吗”?* W; V1 t1 @8 j% A% S/ b* i, R
9 ~; y, B# a, P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。”( R7 K3 b( C; n Q; F( {0 _
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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。& R( E. k5 J) l! @! f- K: F# u
8 A2 X, m0 p$ ^9 |# h1980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。; ^2 k6 {4 B- b' h6 k8 S2 H5 v
不戴安全套的权利 H& o5 f3 D/ Q" U/ T
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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。8 X" F' M% u/ I' T
: g+ u2 z# s- D' K9 b9 U) p3 b0 |, s: h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”? 7 `% h8 [& j/ Q( {3 Z* Z O9 g' j# [0 q @8 ]' X
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。 8 v4 k/ r! l! ~+ v! m6 }6 y! D ! l3 z5 Z# H7 w& q! x* `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? & `- b- J' A, A0 ? o; d9 K/ l # H' u2 y7 D( 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。 6 A( o! I& }4 L& K2 i i5 F6 G / t. i; f! C4 s# B' b+ j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 R3 Y- X6 n6 `- Z; @2 u8 ` # J( c; w& t9 G6 `: v一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。+ j: |4 k! N9 d7 Q! i9 }. W0 l
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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。6 X- q6 j! p3 j( E
4 O! x" v7 Y9 \' X* A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。4 @9 T; k: X* M8 P
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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……. 8 {* \5 H! _$ c* x$ S : x V1 \& c. l D$ X8 _+ s - o6 \% I6 h9 l( J: ]Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles ; U3 E; W5 N2 h4 Q @5 i7 T
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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. ( J$ R9 v I3 G2 y" I7 o( k2 X+ }6 \( n3 Y- t
Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles., c- P% g" w, w- V
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I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.. r3 r( u; J, i6 w& h6 |
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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. 4 w& A. S( _ {7 m/ O , p# _ W. @* i' `% ^3 jThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga., X- r5 Q- _+ _
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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. 8 B% ^( N* ?9 b/ C: k) f7 z/ a; m, u
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. " `5 m- u) j0 A0 Q& Y8 x: x/ I8 D7 h9 r, G9 M. O6 J( v5 Y9 r2 n
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. # n& R4 M; y1 D: J+ B/ @% p & D; v2 j, ^9 ]4 |0 `. I W" uFantasy$ d" e; K% f( t$ X9 w
% ?8 ?8 x6 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. ! ]. P9 K& j0 f0 d+ \- C( k& _' R& C
The problem, increasingly, is revenue.5 [9 J0 c" Q4 j: V4 K! U% X0 h- c
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Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. 8 v4 @4 _2 S( x, i4 f/ T- {/ [+ T3 F& E* b2 b
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. # C. O" Q) I8 b( E1 }% }* U( e$ ~ 6 X: @" \: ` o9 e: BAnd the economic downturn does not help. , x- X {8 K" H3 B# ~4 i7 B / @! X6 {, }5 B% i, |! x" X; _"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.' w5 k6 t' M5 `$ X8 I; \
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.& a8 A9 @" {' d7 G' i
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. 7 V. O. G* W8 |8 o9 [- Y' W" u z* E- z
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.& o0 L7 ^) S: W0 y. m$ t. O& k
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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.4 Q. x( _3 o2 {0 t
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Gonorrhoea. _7 k, z( Q+ O5 |1 w1 D
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.& v) x8 U; y1 v9 x- l) A
0 J. e9 I- }/ V# ^# D h& o$ ^A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. 4 Z4 R( _' p+ g2 ^! h% K' t' I9 H: L# C F% r- Q
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. + z2 ^! I6 c% A) k- _ 2 A/ [' K5 j/ X7 L; V! h"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"; n0 T! }: }' s2 @: c' n% {# W+ f% [
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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. : D! ]' u0 p3 X! D, f2 T , \6 R& h5 ]' r, ? I# z5 M. a1 y' kEach day would be 15 hours long. . @; Y u) \9 A/ E0 n2 g; R& U1 Z' s, N 0 Q1 O: d9 j) _2 U% ]"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. 6 N6 o; n% i+ t! @ 7 o& X9 i$ W& |"You get used to it," she smiled.. l/ {# m) L: T2 |( H
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" 6 Y3 P) a+ H4 j/ C1 Q0 Q! [ ( R! ?( i! J) I" A7 p* V- ?; p8 ^"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."& i7 B9 K2 ?: \" C5 i
% Y7 x* _7 D8 S$ M( DThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.! v& k1 D0 j' H' ~4 S
' s( [5 f4 E* x. H& J: l6 gIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. $ z o6 Z7 i/ e' p/ b7 @ ! r \1 x5 y7 EA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. , ^* M* ^, C& E, p+ A% F& U7 P; D# n5 x# k3 S9 A0 P, s1 X
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. ) o1 l/ _$ ]0 t+ M( h( ^1 D$ A+ {0 w4 J3 L+ _: c
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. ! U# ^5 Z6 B& z! k$ r3 B- U6 w8 ^# P: y5 V
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"8 V0 j; y$ r! _$ G4 Q
$ |& j, t% y5 HI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.8 h' v; \0 H3 w( x: J' |
- t3 D) e' w% I: b. `+ _. V% c; KBut 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?% a# E% k. x8 [; K' [0 F$ W* u
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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./ o7 G0 B/ d" f6 j2 w4 H5 ^! v
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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. , {& Y L& \4 c1 U& e( B) x9 t% ?4 W t" w
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.6 y' }& |+ p6 M$ q' ^+ Y
4 `# F, Y2 u3 H" ?7 BThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.9 T2 n! a7 Y2 H s" a
4 V/ P7 M {. e+ h# y- \5 M% jThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.6 t! Z+ V# c. @" k1 I
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.6 z& E$ |$ t# o0 s
* ~% ?! o- q+ \& N $ S' z9 ^: y$ I" Y/ t1 b# V" x5 I6 Y% t: m3 w. | + z+ y: {4 g V5 U1 ?) u7 uCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004