' R5 p, O$ p+ Y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。- M. U/ s w3 S! _8 d
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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”?6 { r$ z7 y8 M2 i7 ?: H4 y8 n" x
1 p u0 ~" n) L- N" m# Y- C. v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。, n- r. N; z& p, ^9 H2 f- k# O
6 P( v& o- B9 G" B$ D. z4 A0 i7 c# F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? 1 F# A# i7 N9 \& w2 w7 y& }6 E B/ p1 s& ]( P y4 e% S. r
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。 * W0 E$ |2 j5 P' t2 H. F4 l9 |) l
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。 - m: ^' L6 U @9 j! h, B% h# @/ _. m/ ]( {5 d* p1 D* A' j' ]
一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。. g! M& x- Z) f3 [5 r- D8 N3 [, D3 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。8 v, k3 X6 V! ?6 v
$ V. U, _. g& a5 I7 H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。+ E- G4 i W1 T4 e
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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……. 0 g. @! u0 L" I( [3 Q! N& ]- f/ R# o* V6 s" m
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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles ( ]4 s6 c5 s" G1 A; Y1 o' K: K1 ^1 Q6 g; J
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. % M" ~1 R, ?% r! G& r 3 r! H0 q5 B# F: t1 [/ Y; @% bLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. 7 B( |$ b; H* l* g9 _ u( E+ V5 E" q) B# R" ?I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.0 b p6 z r( Q+ i# G
6 ]7 g% P( D! J$ u- bWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. 5 [* n) u. V, B4 D! R * w. H1 D( {9 L0 RThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. 4 y- u* {, k. Q- j; p5 R4 O' Z9 {6 n2 y
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 i* `. P i/ j- S3 x9 X, ]. ~3 q% i0 _0 I- j
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. 3 x! E6 Q: w: \8 N4 B! }7 T ! M; u9 R# E7 s" h0 ?Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.$ H) `0 L8 f. L4 m; r
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Fantasy0 h) M6 U2 Q, Y/ \: \3 w# z
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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.& E: G7 y. w6 F1 C6 P) m" d
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue.' Y+ @6 y: F. W1 L$ P, S3 X
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Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. % Q9 g- I# N/ q, |$ t1 F: E, ~3 p( c L9 n8 G4 {- S9 `# [
DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. |1 N- O0 A/ w " E: h4 J6 X1 r. sAnd the economic downturn does not help.3 c4 ]+ q6 u! M; y/ W& \, s
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"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. ' F1 ]9 K4 y3 t$ v) g / M7 R0 r, q, J! NThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.7 z, Z% _; k' L9 E* E3 U
0 {( o! y) s( Y* k3 PFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. ' B- i" R" f5 k8 G1 ]0 U* k/ @# n' P- t. I
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. $ Q0 @& o- a | l2 {" h% q7 u4 _' oBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say. 9 f% N6 \% b$ n; F' g4 F. l ; i$ \/ c) D$ `& b, @% y% a. ?Gonorrhoea 0 P8 y! h8 u2 |7 F( b3 q$ N5 b# O3 p0 ~! ?& H4 l
Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. ' N' D7 C2 p3 j. q; S/ `" g/ N: p3 h7 L1 a# u/ R0 e
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. 8 D) E3 F4 ~/ `: U. W0 z; `) @2 k2 u8 o- S- k2 N& Q
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. Q& F( A7 s( N
+ K7 v E( q# R( N& s& o" J. A"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" w" a! [! q) F, b" f6 R5 L
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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., l u4 q* q/ @2 Y
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Each day would be 15 hours long.' g7 S: C2 P7 k3 g9 r, D2 G! D
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"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.0 C3 D0 R8 L9 `+ U; G7 V9 t4 H
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"You get used to it," she smiled. : n) t$ m) Y p Q( _% E0 @+ u9 t * O- j" q0 c |. P9 I% }! C"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" - G2 {/ ^; j, l, s& C2 s- {& u$ ?8 ~/ Q1 O: t. I8 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."* G) g: s3 x/ B. o B& F& e- d
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There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.0 V# Y+ Z8 x: K# @+ X( B! o" B& W
7 ]; u- W, Y! L- _9 AExpensive lawsuits- w( p3 z x. {' a1 W2 R
7 Q' Y6 x6 [1 j- b9 ?In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business./ @0 ]( z2 @' Q0 Q
* p% W% }/ A1 h, O* k1 OA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. 9 ^" i3 B6 E; C: G' z3 D- i5 x3 J/ ?' d
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.! q. e% F' x8 H/ s, v8 c- [
, O) C( w. W4 \0 a$ a3 l; f0 ~, FNow, 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.# W$ e5 W. {% H, @$ u; V4 B9 K
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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?" / G2 H( b6 t1 \1 n" o, X2 n+ H: O# b! n- r. k! m3 `
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. ( [" f6 _# w; y+ j+ A! B * b2 p5 E7 o% T6 O) Z3 {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?$ T8 Y; w" S4 S5 w( T5 T: `$ k3 G* I
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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.- X( a* _7 _8 U; a E" u
: a ~) t7 U" N. D6 ZIt 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.* R9 q6 n$ e0 {0 P
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A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. ; j0 ?1 c# X' L* ?4 N6 h. M. u2 l3 m" S: o% _( P
The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.0 [; y3 u- c6 l3 {5 X% z
: k- _; _# [. x. u, v6 M5 j) X- gThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.6 N/ C- }. J- `* q7 @' g
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.; m" {" z+ h* G: u% r. N
: m2 I" A7 p$ y4 z: E) @' a1 c. ~; P* ] - k8 H/ J9 m# M$ W : c8 i9 f1 ?+ \5 e8 j% v& U- q- h . C% A1 W/ p# xCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004