& {6 {" M7 F' ^; r( v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。”. ?" f- P1 y4 w8 _8 T
/ }* b4 a& Y1 U) c/ B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。 4 ~/ y9 U, K: P1 ~$ w3 t' F9 g) ]
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。 x+ Y* S9 B0 _ b. k f- S不戴安全套的权利, r. g2 K2 p Y/ ]9 t/ |# C
' i0 d( M0 O! l1 {& q1 V* p4 b7 A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。9 r5 m# b, D# N W
# d# W0 h& ^( ~) b6 M( F& G( \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”?5 p0 |: K. x& S
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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。 * H f6 b2 G. h) j. }. Q8 R! R , j' L8 J) p J3 K+ i" a! S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?" n" p8 v! b7 \9 j6 f# c# T
2 O) u% J* d, g0 a2 x( s; t/ l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。 9 z" D1 t& l' N- |' e4 p3 S. E0 [/ O; C' x9 z7 T! `" x3 g+ x8 Z
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。4 q; @3 C. Q6 ~# E2 O
/ F! g7 A+ x9 b3 ~1 x一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。# V5 z, J, q# p% d6 g4 \$ C
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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。 p3 v" J7 S. i3 s" f4 k$ d& Z/ V! a, R/ d( j, z3 L( 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。) D: f' ~, R7 J7 ~8 r" x1 I
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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…….$ _) d2 T9 M0 T% g$ g# k
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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles - K! E$ V% o! I7 Q4 }4 T7 B/ {% Z$ E
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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. ) I0 A7 _( N/ b( b) W! T- d # h2 o: t, V( V% h4 w7 rLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. 8 v$ _9 o% t U 3 O6 K4 P9 v3 i# II had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.8 ?. Z* L1 c1 t) k
9 N+ G8 q o, L( s3 G9 K9 C$ }$ @What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.- h7 Z* o8 x [
4 n1 Q: B7 w: u* I6 h$ W# y: _6 Y8 rThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.# y9 b) p/ H4 k! y$ {
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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.1 U B/ \: G6 z, @# K- ]) v0 p
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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.* o. N- c1 U1 s9 k
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Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.: I+ G* F9 c# W6 G2 u0 e
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Fantasy # b- \# N* `# Q& i/ b' K O% i8 u" y( m/ o% n' ^9 ?6 i
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. ' p2 m3 r$ R5 R/ e) U8 s# U% W7 y6 `! D3 R) y0 c& _1 V
The problem, increasingly, is revenue.0 Q: {) F! @+ P5 M2 ~0 \
8 S' T0 r# w, O) o4 D V3 i0 TLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. : h) l5 Y- E$ U$ j+ ^$ s0 \; M- J7 N2 T/ Z) y! I
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.# A- d6 z- o- J1 l
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And the economic downturn does not help. 2 s v. A( a( B W5 a y4 L; b5 H1 p" B9 m0 G0 k' G
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. ) x8 L1 p2 C6 X' t+ ]5 }% w$ V2 G% Z! M# h
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.' a# T9 T4 l C: d* _- D
j* A. E2 h9 i4 ?' X( KFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. # N$ H5 T3 Z; x! N9 e* P- k3 R5 g# N- Y& j. {1 w
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.! }/ H. U$ u ?. y
$ t1 @+ |& \6 g# a7 \7 GBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say.! C3 ^) O% N6 K& T
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. " m7 E! V' P$ x8 f. X4 C5 ^' [4 E& K- w ^, M/ K
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. 7 G8 e6 u' \0 D) B , {, D# O, P: C, Y* pShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.6 `8 t( j1 |) }' P- ]4 `
# r% A, }+ \, l- j0 O4 c2 S"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" . l# @6 H+ I8 h4 Y; e: N2 @. ^" y! P/ r4 k4 }
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.7 f5 X* u- z: {4 F& } U
% k- o7 |8 m C( B( z. A$ uEach day would be 15 hours long.! q4 j Q" Q1 W
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"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. 4 K# i. I7 |& q0 \. B* Q" H / Q2 v; e1 A' ?"You get used to it," she smiled. $ W. @8 F$ j% }* M/ X3 `3 H& I7 s9 W6 Y4 K4 `
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?". v2 c0 B5 ~4 Z$ T0 A7 C: M
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"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." ! u5 N8 c3 t* `2 ^4 D/ G . U2 e6 {9 T& U T7 s0 w4 gThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. # y9 P( S, V% V! x b 1 T0 R m# S2 s8 z7 c8 y/ L- u, l7 ZExpensive lawsuits % s1 C( h# i, z, |. W , \9 o7 n8 {' i/ ^- Q3 yIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. ! E. M# W$ J f; o: S4 ?/ o- R& \( I8 A8 t
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.0 l" W3 q5 H. g) c: o" k
4 ~0 J' ?/ X6 TIt 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., |6 \' o9 y) [, K0 u1 K
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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. : p5 t* J8 p: H: S8 j# b& }" ]7 _* h0 ^' q' R. h6 v
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" $ f& L' Q' x! H3 W- n S. U& O2 Q" m; _( y1 g5 v5 s" G
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. # U$ Q/ e6 Q8 t+ L6 x9 M! z x: F7 J1 n6 r2 ^9 p8 i" n
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? % L5 ~. H% o8 P6 l6 n1 {- d( r/ I) q# U
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.* c+ q0 A3 g n. F# u+ K1 G. b4 q, S
1 H! Z* @1 W! E/ ?" |; { o sIt 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. % [% J5 `0 j6 Z1 F% b * d$ F1 B) ~/ n. w. }' iA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. 0 }2 {# T, U. y" S; F% ?. [; P8 k0 n9 x3 M5 z' H: D5 x
The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.+ m% N. [8 {( 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. + e# S0 M6 J$ h8 F' H$ f# t* `) d) {6 w4 Y" F
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.& \( h; m! W' r' A5 y, {3 |9 q
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004