+ D( p: b& v& [( R当天,她的日程安排得很紧凑,两句台词,四小时的性爱。星期二试装,然后就去接受每月一次的体检。宝碧每一天都要工作15个小时。 1 q7 \: E1 Z3 {0 [0 K7 ]1 N4 i* H* T! `( p
我说,“你一定很累吧”?她微笑着回答说,“习惯了”。 / J6 ^& a$ u# g0 N \6 ?( | ! q* ^) G2 b ?3 | C, _3 ?我接着问,“那么,健康风险呢?你经常被感染吗”?% i# x) b) c7 q+ I5 |# u! V7 y
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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。” 1 `) J. n! I( Z' V6 z2 u* V2 y; P. y3 ]5 C# w3 k. w
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。 / b7 q) N+ S, H' J# ]9 }8 j 7 W3 J# n; `9 ]6 c1 A* `" N1980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。 * m! i# S3 v6 T不戴安全套的权利0 {0 s3 K# |' }1 ~# {9 {. u
0 u0 T" o, M+ @5 e1 c! D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。! a2 R6 L, R" U" E0 X( k' 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”? / v3 A: d5 w/ X: r9 n$ }( h/ z2 A - d8 w4 `/ \. J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。 / D" \ S2 _0 M& E$ t8 }8 K6 l! y* p9 }) m; ^3 Z
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?. f* o" O' \. A O# f
0 u$ Q( `; a7 d9 u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 [& h) |( G. I2 s) a4 D* L! s4 a% e$ x! ?+ d8 r h1 h
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。 0 b7 C/ E( I, E. u6 x - k# o* P5 U {6 P0 y' i一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。. Y& V* S) x2 b8 u% G
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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。 ) O3 i- p" p$ }) l D5 u& u% i; ?2 {
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。4 o# h; V& k+ A: v; 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……. 3 [+ O3 x2 m3 K' a 8 C0 P; N; U4 n7 t4 |7 i) F# C4 M 0 ^/ ^) F0 \# DCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles + m( D" z0 @8 i; J
9 C2 f( K! c1 LCalifornia'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. + e9 Q, N/ I4 p: I, i. s * h& ]2 A) o3 v) O2 uLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.6 t {( y" R5 I6 v. V
. s+ r- w* f9 F4 M2 d: }I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.8 q3 m# o1 C3 i
' ~# V4 x# O6 i" Q' ~* m- n1 fWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.$ o% e% B- R1 {! k6 O: x/ q
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The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. 9 R# x) o! D% ` 0 A2 e4 i: z3 H2 ]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.0 N7 O( d, D2 G% u h* o
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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. 8 j- d2 M$ X- M+ A* H, X/ L 1 V( W( E% B, t( I" OOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.: `6 {, O. ` D1 P
- g1 a' c( w; U. e; M5 O# _8 QFantasy! a0 e( l7 B9 i W" F0 R# [
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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.0 j2 r1 I: V$ ~' t" l( e6 k, c
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue. C& E+ C" Y+ q6 J
: M2 P( ?2 x6 s, X4 g" H2 zLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.9 A+ r! S! `0 }
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DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. * L! _8 Y. ^; W& ~! q" U5 e, q8 |) e- X0 }
And the economic downturn does not help., d9 A/ p5 z% R* E# S9 V5 K7 B
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"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. ( ]7 S$ h. D8 l+ z 9 b( B$ @6 g. u: e! {% e ~2 i4 ~The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations./ c4 O6 _* T8 T# y4 V+ E
# d" u. U) {8 B) c l, z2 X5 G. xFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. . g8 R4 c' \" y X/ _ 1 ?* H9 E/ y6 pHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.1 {5 n3 B- n. L6 Q( {0 q
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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.1 Z1 L5 [2 ~5 G, \2 m4 R
6 w5 J6 k; E/ |4 Y; KGonorrhoea / f* W* ?" _( f. n3 H : q$ p# f A5 F; t9 Q; B9 i4 RBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.! ?0 I! f1 c3 g$ v U
) L/ O3 D5 I- E: y- uA college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. ) b5 _+ _: w! V0 q- z 1 P5 Y; @( W# x! sShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.# b$ I( R; H$ F6 t
' n0 K( }3 {, r9 |$ a) U6 t" N; y"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?"! P5 L$ c: _, R* L d
) r9 z' X3 N1 N) m9 ]" p1 G( iHer 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. o: t& v! H" G$ E3 d3 b( ^/ c+ J' @ 0 \$ @/ b4 e' Z+ EEach day would be 15 hours long. * |- a( j) N# z4 U8 m) R/ ], j. _4 n- w ; Z; h F' @ J: [' Y1 l% T8 Q) R+ @"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.6 M% v+ k4 f1 s* ~
6 ]; f9 M: \/ Y"You get used to it," she smiled., J; C, s& L3 _+ }8 p- C
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"- ?" J' ^+ w9 q) D
- W7 q; k$ h Q"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."$ F6 I. J7 c7 I5 h" f
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There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.4 r6 y: I. y; j' J Z5 ?
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Expensive lawsuits) W5 P \+ M, w
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In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.. {0 [; r$ r! H: W8 k
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A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. 5 L4 @% S1 z8 {: e( `; l' H T9 z$ Z3 r0 x3 l) _0 H0 Y5 c' r
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.5 F. M5 k- Z' @. I' D, `# B7 f9 y
# S6 v# r6 @5 a2 x! WNow, 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. ( c+ N5 `: n/ J0 ` ; l. F0 b* i( g"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" . a2 {: G3 ]' a5 X+ g& i x0 `$ l2 E) o+ xI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. % l1 Y9 ^$ a0 g0 S6 Q5 v" p$ O( I' }( F$ j Y
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? 8 X& E0 J3 m6 A8 r& E% \ 6 n( h7 a& C- T9 D! a# \$ iThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.5 w7 h8 M }0 ?' H& w3 R6 `! A
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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.# n6 q4 \' e6 E) Q! D
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A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. 2 b) g+ V2 z0 ?+ T- p " v8 a% [8 `9 M3 y+ q2 ?The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. | J: s: e% a( ?; d' _ ; N8 i' ?$ L* L4 S8 y, Q/ lThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.. D& C! i& Q% a+ j* v
7 t6 C7 C9 i$ \% B+ ^7 q5 g0 i" zI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. 5 M4 S, q& s0 t- n! o+ n( V9 I5 p: v8 ?1 o) d ! _7 ^/ J/ Z# o
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004