( r- l F' G: T7 R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”？8 x& _0 `2 m1 U& _1 @* W2 ^0 e
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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。 9 W |1 ~( \5 I# D; e9 }4 Z9 {( Q( G8 b$ m# T
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 x) J+ Y! b+ F( o. q& B
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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。' U, o2 W5 f+ X. s1 |* q
8 k' j' |3 ?& {* r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。- R0 ^ B C- x7 `3 m5 f/ P) H- h
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一些演员私下告诉我，他们盼着立法赶快生效。 / i3 p* s" q+ W + H- [3 U4 c0 w5 R7 F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。 3 T, | Z* d3 ?7 ?: |$ s( Z( Z' r8 w2 q) y4 }& L2 G2 e+ m, z
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。- c* M0 \7 c8 ?% u' w
' r: u" Z) B; O/ s0 b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……. $ L8 y6 r/ t; G; u X N& _ T( h0 Z# ?1 j; V% n f
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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles ' m: b" i4 t1 A7 E: l9 X) I
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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.$ Y9 p% P" A) B f, p8 |
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Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. : m5 R3 t" W, x# i4 R4 D 5 Z( d0 f3 |4 ?6 z2 U- xI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. B2 _- t: |. k7 H( h2 ] }9 D, x i c$ b- b v# F) Y
What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. % ?9 L" p1 J, r6 L9 X5 ^( ~/ |* c
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.4 Y4 ^- f# s! @7 F! R% c) U
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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. 4 ]5 Z' v. { s. G6 N2 d . [1 j* T5 e1 R: t: kThis 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./ @, t1 c' V2 ^' p4 B: e
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Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.- o( K) I- S6 Y7 n
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: @& m! b& U) U8 H& d. S6 FThe 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 N: k) A Y, w0 b N0 P
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The problem, increasingly, is revenue.- S) J' k- `: v$ N4 I
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Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.# z2 R- o1 J6 g6 x, h
; ^+ }5 z. p' {% w3 KDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. ' d; z/ ?$ X- }8 C/ E/ s& r; x) ?' d, D1 Z# R7 ?: Z. V
And the economic downturn does not help.6 R# Q; E# w& A% ^3 [7 _' |
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"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.- O+ j9 u4 q+ }+ i% D" p9 }
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. - T1 x7 w# c( m* N$ a/ O4 s 6 d& \0 Y3 J- R2 bFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. # f: e* g3 o; T. o" ~' v. X ) V; m9 _9 j- V; SHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. 7 v* o, T& ?: @$ @1 U* @+ D9 A: D) F" R
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.$ L5 b% p" U T. A6 v! D' n
/ `; b" h1 M n8 SGonorrhoea + p6 @/ n6 {6 I: {2 E ]" v 6 H( E% d4 q& M" D. G$ D& o" d% ]" ABack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. 7 q3 i7 r- V0 f4 v9 a+ n; q8 c' L" Q! d3 l& M5 t! z- H
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.1 C- O, ~/ {& P, N" a- C# z* E
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She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.0 a: W. S. E5 W* c9 @. S% I
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"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" 2 E5 l) H! \ X: e6 j * u& d" g+ ~# h; L8 W9 h" v, _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. % c% F* x( a# _" V3 q $ Z/ |1 V7 i, J4 D5 |Each day would be 15 hours long. f j0 k* S+ c4 K
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"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.1 G8 m) }5 ~6 g# I9 q. w9 ~
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"You get used to it," she smiled. 3 Q4 X {. ?7 \, X6 ~& R- R$ F: Q- A% I* o' y, G. I
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" - \3 v1 n: |/ D% u! Z! u7 E0 }: h- i% t" V% a @ ]
"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." . f2 k! A& l9 F* m4 j & e5 _2 s( o- mThere was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.& L% ?( f0 A0 [! t
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Expensive lawsuits + y9 j0 V3 X% H0 p/ k$ h9 {3 D9 {; R& W1 E- N2 d4 Z
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. ' w; q, Q! g+ U7 {. o3 C% g$ Y& k& D* z+ D( U8 U
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. % _, _; ~3 m" j3 | 9 K4 t: X$ Y( ~+ O, N- KIt 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.! g0 c3 ~0 H- s6 S7 X- j S! o$ Q1 w
& K$ a( j( O6 c$ F4 T: INow, 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. 0 F2 \( i: ]4 r$ _* o3 S + j) p( t/ `4 l- `* p1 w5 S6 V"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"1 S1 E0 e7 c/ F, f. K& Z: t
2 b! W' E$ [% |$ fI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.1 X) v$ H" `* Y$ R- H2 ^: u5 g+ V
: f. W+ n0 H3 Z1 |2 K! T2 D% BBut 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? n5 k% X& p+ U* R 5 h' Y& @) Q: u3 _The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.! N, {. g3 t3 @- M
) f/ Y: P+ C. bIt 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. 9 m! C1 A' K6 A! D+ b. T0 @; ?1 T - C; D- n9 W" C d" SA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. / k% {5 [7 y% F: a9 E9 p9 g# D2 Q# P- i% V" Y
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 [' q8 j) _' C; L2 @
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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.5 o0 m* `& s: o t) U+ h- u
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I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. * Z2 G0 Q S& h, j! u7 z! N5 `7 r: _1 t* z/ V0 d. x" K # s5 f* V: a4 J0 c) g
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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