! e; x" }9 R( O$ u2 X我说,“你一定很累吧”?她微笑着回答说,“习惯了”。 ( M* k% k+ [$ W( f) N % [: Y3 P8 O5 D8 l; j' k. V: e! v! O8 t我接着问,“那么,健康风险呢?你经常被感染吗”?( s7 }6 S* E9 t+ H4 {4 z; w
5 l# F. E [4 W& u3 \& S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。” . [% d! ]+ K5 i7 Q Q- N" j9 v5 U0 e$ p; G+ D
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。 # s1 P9 A T' U- O % I, G6 F0 b3 K* i2 t0 U3 M' e* `. t8 P1980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。 0 e! o; r" {# q; [1 U9 D: B不戴安全套的权利 ; P: X* z+ z* T1 C0 W# A$ `1 }1 W- r
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 D, z, U6 y* O7 C; T. E
2 S: C! r7 }4 Q. |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”? ! f ~- F4 I: v4 Z! \6 ^4 t7 |7 ~6 W6 D+ @/ ^0 y
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。, v0 A) s# u! V6 X
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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?0 @" R( i( S9 D
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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。 3 `- i9 M# j# c( \% D: I: | 0 y1 E4 S* V2 L' e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。( c4 ~; R! K: v3 J; Z
, q4 ~( d1 B" N9 w. l$ o- T一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。 1 n0 \, z: h0 z) l- c6 I& j2 E2 H/ W- Z9 L- q, ?5 c+ y. t
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。 / ~9 a1 {1 v1 ?' f- L8 h / T8 ^8 ?; V3 t6 W) o2 r* t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。 ) \" ^2 G) k/ l, d# I. G p; p; F, Y0 g1 A* H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 r4 s3 `& [% s- f . I6 ]! U5 \0 E/ k& ]+ l0 O/ Q( H0 r7 z Z ^
Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles , `+ d3 G* B( ?: Y" d# F
J: _. j$ S# h4 _4 O8 S7 k9 XCalifornia'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.$ N5 F, Z5 w( 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.: J' L! J/ Y/ n+ X- R3 J
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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.6 M/ `: p+ x T$ q8 }
3 b4 Q+ f$ A! ^What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. : m( t$ B q6 D: L5 q O- g ' }% j) s- o0 W y% nThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. # z# o* T4 f5 } F 0 n* l( ?1 w( S" e/ P$ C. OPerformers 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 o% F/ F8 z9 F4 P0 X* N( j8 u9 L/ r& k: V, w' j+ r
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. 2 w* c) v) Q5 q. i1 l: }3 l6 p( o' t5 W# j0 Y+ {$ O- Z) K
Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. + h3 N+ H6 ]: U# E; C) u8 D 4 E3 N3 e! s; n! \Fantasy, j/ P0 p$ T3 \/ }; \& C
5 L# s9 d, T/ _) W' l$ K4 z0 O; q) [/ U2 [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.9 y! g: g/ k$ K& g( m
, w3 ]2 [- x, X% pThe problem, increasingly, is revenue. " N# F8 j# Y8 d4 x3 f: [" g! | " ]- Q/ U4 p( u- x& qLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. 7 L/ t0 k# s4 A A7 _1 k9 H! g4 L: H! w. i- s' p
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. 0 ?( K+ _; ]& X; R0 {7 j# ] * O6 t' o# c7 \) x A2 Y" |( s) Y# HAnd the economic downturn does not help.. u; s0 v! k7 N; G7 m
% h* n4 v3 a6 B( |, j9 i4 [! B/ F* P: Y"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.- `( P: Q$ m0 R6 f
, |3 u, e& z8 fThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.' l& ?0 B$ `% g( S. |: q! ~; B
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. " E' u m7 S, Z& W0 n C2 T S) M0 L4 s
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.3 W$ q" Q0 p8 Y/ g! w
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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., W- F8 q2 |" c
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Gonorrhoea + x! } p( M( B( D1 }- W' ~- e5 `+ l$ A K. f$ r
Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. 3 t" d/ L) B$ m8 a& K5 \4 P6 ^1 j9 w4 g& K8 T# `; r* _8 ]5 r
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. + Q4 q' K& i9 w' ? % i& H* e6 q3 A4 r; t/ jShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. ( Q) z6 \' x4 p( ~- |8 Z2 r# m* O7 \5 B, {% M, ]5 _' K7 d
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" ?6 m$ L0 n4 K7 E; g3 c! e
' d& E% }( W# r# C/ Q9 u; \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.& t6 C: [8 k d. Q( y% T; ]# o
5 w" y+ I8 _. Y/ N; }! DEach day would be 15 hours long. . M9 e/ [) {, i , J( ?; ?9 {: S* k% R+ F6 n3 x9 l"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. `& a2 |% O7 H& B$ S# r# D
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"You get used to it," she smiled. 8 n6 C( `# N6 x- J# n! l6 n/ y. K; _2 U8 J2 t
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" 0 ^- d7 x* n+ E k2 J. R& l3 J6 S! W, H6 t) @/ _) `+ \) \
"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."1 i% f# A( i! Y. d3 q* T: D
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There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.; l* z8 R6 B+ ?1 I
0 B$ v3 r% e6 I. L; S* |Expensive lawsuits & ]( ~+ H; ^8 h, C7 E ( c! q0 w4 n9 t jIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. % _4 Q4 D6 C5 x8 r( Y- x7 L0 D$ v2 t: r
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. # }3 S& R/ H/ O" p. _& g: O1 X0 h! S8 d0 g" l- C3 [4 Z6 Y/ y% T: B* s
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.2 L Y. L5 y" B7 F+ z# g
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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. 9 X- q+ p0 U" C: G6 O+ O- f% v) ]* l8 h( ~0 O6 G, E/ o: K
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" 9 _2 E& H. k$ j6 l$ T' }# i7 D5 |8 `; Y) `9 ?
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.' p- A, q0 G# X. ?
0 U9 r, D* S0 EBut 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? % [! m1 C; Y0 x9 g4 N - L) }1 e' n- F2 mThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. 5 {* X" P9 d5 n$ o! U3 y7 B0 L& k, p1 _- n9 m* a
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. 2 C; i0 p/ Z( N , o5 ^5 v7 V5 Y" v' _) m! G7 M/ z( sA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. , V* Z, `+ J- v& c; t& H ) |3 v9 T: m7 CThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. - |; N% z/ c" ]7 d- y2 r ) c% b( v0 O MThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.' Z; g' x- k& }. q) ~3 \+ V
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. 2 p. x, }' C1 c0 E3 ?3 E9 K& b1 P: G% ~ : S- `- k2 E: ]- L8 g1 y/ G# j( R( P 5 y& k4 n' Z# [6 p7 v. ?" j. m- V& }4 P& @! i0 l6 ^, z; \
Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004