- h, T7 E* I0 i2 G* f; u! k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。 4 m8 M. z) c i, R( c: k; Z( W; { " L; |5 C! l- {- N8 I" l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?6 Q3 d. s. K% M7 }2 m/ k. C; r
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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。1 X8 B2 p- P' y, |$ l0 Q
V1 V/ _" Y& w: B% m* 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。 3 h" ~. W- g# b K. g& Y" x3 d& B' t, L9 v# q1 [
一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。 ! c2 l6 T9 \; k+ M# M& u3 `2 \" x
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。; y& z8 c! J. v1 u8 L4 I6 U I
; }- W' J& n2 g% r0 [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 [. C* f; F* t. E1 |; a1 o Z6 ?5 v T+ {0 I6 u; @+ H: J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……." j) S& o; q4 K: x4 i9 Q
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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles & O- v8 s1 m$ h+ t9 h# U. s" \8 y- S / p6 O( @ C( X' k0 ^ k2 H$ DCalifornia'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.& t: [/ z7 y% W) [0 s( N1 O7 G
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Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. : x1 L& `0 s$ f0 O2 A4 B; | r/ H* L `8 W8 n, _
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.% E5 B% H& C1 `" U6 F1 o; O" d" |
3 b3 t9 Q$ T1 [5 K0 QWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. & B J& Q Z" g' Q0 X6 j" D6 e" o2 T5 Z3 m7 r% V9 `% ~
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. ( g% @9 B# G- V' t* P 4 \# Q$ L1 F, `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., p B, v. N- H0 w
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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. ( l* y( V. m7 I+ y ( X: I( c) J% ^% j* |1 N! q; zOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.2 i9 F( z" n5 c+ z; Y/ w3 a# a2 L
7 Y6 z, m) d7 Z) S8 |4 l, T7 {Fantasy - A9 ^( i6 H* x h+ L8 h; C! H& K, w . l" N: c) [- N4 R( e; k( JThe 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. : X: p9 {, L0 j+ ^. g9 i 1 T% L2 Y! w! i/ p# k7 d+ tThe problem, increasingly, is revenue. 9 A0 |! q' J. u( W! C; @6 Q% w9 \( B$ w/ O2 Z
Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. , \: F7 |. @ \ & S3 e9 |# z* S2 z o+ ?DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.3 P! [# i. _3 |
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And the economic downturn does not help. ; r$ J6 i1 r/ b$ K: ~ d) Q; O/ j* L* r( A"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.$ Q+ ]* s7 A5 i8 D0 J* J& f" \& h4 X
2 ?( ^5 j$ X5 `The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.' B' ^2 ?! q# s2 A4 V' @' K
% ]5 S+ ~; W( z6 c: C- aFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. + z, K" u, ^, E# a% a% H) X% b% U; [2 y$ k
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.& y4 y0 J6 u1 W& P
- I: s7 M5 @- t3 _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. ; w0 D2 o5 [# S% Y* Q9 _1 w( V/ z) [0 [( U2 S8 n
Gonorrhoea. }) \9 ^0 o8 R" t; U: K
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.! B8 L2 N" u) J9 j( Q' p
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A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. ) k( r+ K) B0 e2 \$ `; x8 q. F/ q/ d9 g. ^
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. 5 h. c' J7 z) f0 b ( ~6 s5 h' I1 J r2 o"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"( ^& S3 w7 a" O- ]
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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. " j+ z. X O3 b/ ~/ p+ Z" P & L0 o0 h1 C( m) E$ eEach day would be 15 hours long. ! g& }- p W* w- u R! f* E" ^! G* e/ W6 Q2 u9 r
"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.7 h- f* s# h% V0 ]
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"You get used to it," she smiled. 8 O4 ?3 ^5 U% j * O n# g9 i3 i' x# E"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"; l" ^8 E" ^" j4 C
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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."' f( q* {* M7 j7 X K
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There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. ' q# i# h) A- Y, N( W ( x( z( B1 ?4 T* H! l9 _7 UExpensive lawsuits ; m4 I/ f9 B3 B- x$ w 8 N5 E4 s+ j+ n9 t$ TIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. 4 g$ ]0 A( p3 Y, T; R* }! L$ w4 p! C+ F- T: D
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. ) l. Q0 r$ X: t5 H9 j$ S1 r9 w D+ x( n2 \; n% l% ] f
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.( k% O# n( i! k$ E; k, L) B
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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. 5 a) J0 b( t: R* E# p+ M 7 |" m7 U# C4 c5 d"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" 2 `4 B+ Z+ I9 n% G. h1 z3 X% D3 d7 J9 `& b3 I) L& B
I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. ; p2 z2 T( h% P0 `. @( ]8 R( D! ^( i# v" S3 {$ m( P, f. 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?$ ^. n: C, ~: C
) I# @. U2 `; `" C2 K: FThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.& v: m1 Z, D8 f) d ~: C |
& U5 U4 Y: v, ^* @( Q! U1 s* ~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. + f* @) _# q( a' G6 C' n7 i+ l# R; G2 r$ a% w$ h# k1 l0 e g
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.( X4 W- F) v* v; |$ ~
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The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.5 z% T% Y$ I3 Z; a
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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.& U+ V$ z% }& R. K% C& j
! Z+ X8 ]2 g, G; M* s4 m8 EI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. ! S) H" P* Q1 m* a 6 d! n) b7 X K2 D( T$ z 0 l+ D: b/ l) e1 ` E6 Q x ?" T% `& ~: [ ' I7 f6 Z5 f$ O/ g
Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004