8 Z9 [# ?( b2 e! [8 J我接着问,“那么,健康风险呢?你经常被感染吗”? [/ @4 x8 `# R& C# ~# n" V; X$ {# X5 U/ Q% O- X
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) A" y6 D7 U9 l( x. _ - S* R2 U& e7 i& N2 Y2 o, z F8 `& f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。* h, H+ M8 X8 ?7 N; m
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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。: c7 e3 H1 x8 Z7 g/ c- C8 U
不戴安全套的权利 ; i6 P, J! X S, y9 d0 q/ g 9 O/ v& j6 i- I. G/ P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。# z0 ]0 L! R" c
6 [5 r1 f) B, P, q% K0 f' y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”? $ L9 K N4 W1 Q4 f- [ 1 u, Q! j2 q2 \2 W% F7 L. C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 M( o1 n& F/ r2 I : l3 c/ G& f( n2 C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? , I( t7 J# t4 k3 D% K# r , }$ q6 \& L% ?6 G$ g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。: |- T1 I- C5 R3 E: U" w
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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。+ `$ b7 |! L" t
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一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。* Y$ B7 L, C: T6 O; J
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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。 9 {* L" ?3 ]( ~4 g' u7 O1 } " q# f7 b, q, V# ~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。# i- g, ^5 ?, E' o
& O( n2 v/ J$ e% K4 F' N: m$ c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……. # T9 ?9 h0 s+ R U6 U% F. n/ Y% Q5 l7 i+ ?% h- l
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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 8 `! i( s, o1 Q1 H; {; |- }4 X. p5 e
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.; t4 y: w; t% ~/ e+ i1 M$ H7 Q
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Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. 9 V0 o0 ?1 w5 M1 _0 O, L3 r ! k3 h8 n3 Y# X: @* W- NI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. , \- j, B; S6 @5 W! \2 K2 L8 d: s. A
What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. 4 D" [9 o1 ]4 R b! P' D6 H4 a% i* r8 q/ T, q( y3 _; O
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.3 w6 F* J2 F5 ?6 a
! F# q: x2 q- @, tPerformers 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 m0 f/ Y/ s7 C1 d. G
9 ]/ f8 r3 G! k( hThis 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.) e4 \) }& F& m* q
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Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed. ! K* U4 U- L/ T9 U, N, g' \* q6 t% Z2 G/ h" @/ k; k
Fantasy $ F8 s( J4 G# k+ y+ Y0 P1 w2 G; f% r7 n' 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.+ Q# ?5 p/ f* g4 }- d I' M" A- C
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue. % w2 o2 H6 _6 q' E: z x% ?; F' |
Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. ! d0 u8 h$ Q# q1 P% N 8 A% Y; x+ n# u+ f7 }( m/ s- X; qDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.8 V( ? Q: T* s6 j+ R
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And the economic downturn does not help.' R- T- | w8 m, E
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"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. " A. c" K9 C5 s4 E: F) p4 x2 l/ [& J- x( k3 g1 L
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.5 ?) A8 C; m" U! W% L! J
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.- [/ k# ]. U' z" q. S1 p3 F
) g u- U* K: l; ]6 }( `# D3 j9 M* @Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.0 ~1 [! G/ R* U' J
* K. X# ]3 G% w& f9 K4 yBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say. , \, b5 s4 z* K' K1 O3 y" t3 P1 k1 E( `* u1 ^
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.- A- v- O4 d' x$ \
* l2 a* p* t8 l0 T2 lA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. & Z% j9 s1 F* \2 b: ~9 |: T7 W% @+ R# k( P; F9 ~8 G
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. # C ]* B7 b M$ J* p0 ~" X# G8 b9 }# L$ ?; R7 N1 W! W5 |% S
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" + p6 i* Z' o$ t4 m4 T* |% ]' [* x; n) R* F8 z( I( O
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. # b% P5 k: X7 B: R 4 E* U- }& w' U5 J nEach day would be 15 hours long./ w# Y' ]4 q6 f! g1 r+ S: S
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"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. * k/ Y4 n; t; N# Y: _/ N, C" F9 s4 A R. x
"You get used to it," she smiled.6 b+ T" {* D! ~+ |2 I
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"& i! L# [& S' d$ \( U. }
' o r1 g1 `9 V: \* _: r1 t"Well, just chlamydia a couple of times, gonorrhoea - nothing much. Anyway, we test each month so, when you're diagnosed, you just take your medication and you're good to go. No problem." % D5 W. Y5 L1 M' C% N* d' g T; H" l, A" M5 {2 kThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.: l0 z8 [8 ^8 i I7 p
1 U0 R* @- Y0 _Expensive lawsuits7 h3 w. ~" B+ A+ @. N
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In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. 1 t! r7 B) h$ z5 }, e# V& G 4 m3 i$ }+ r6 b% d8 L9 M3 N8 yA combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.8 Z P9 Q' u# S' c
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It had taken a Supreme Court battle back in the 1980s to make porn legal in California in the first place, formally distinguishing it from common-or-garden prostitution. ) c+ y+ B3 E' w& n2 m 2 ]2 q$ I/ a. S& |- z6 ~# ?5 oNow, many I met spoke of the right not to wear condoms as a key aspect of their constitutional right to free speech, as set out by the Founding Fathers. , q7 o5 H+ C" v& k' Z( k! {/ V% w2 y
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" + b8 {/ S e/ V" t" D * i! \, n4 d$ z, \) g7 xI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. : S( T) Y B2 E$ K0 B& E! x Z# ?3 _4 I
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? , ~: x2 w( M+ u! M0 Q( p# O. K w4 u4 i/ f$ C% x
The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.4 _6 [4 G) [" y, F2 t0 I5 G6 z" P
) j U4 ?2 h4 M/ G! UIt 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.8 h$ D! u8 u9 K7 i6 N( z, |
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A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.+ U3 |+ \5 o ?* ~7 Q" k2 V5 F
; U5 b+ r) M# Y$ Y. y; r6 uThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. : H$ L. H$ U% W. A4 D( j( T, S" U& h& t. B2 K6 |- n; k
That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.( \3 b& M. a' r! L
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.. t" h, A: I% J& M9 J+ r x% g
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004