% ^! D) y! K) J! V5 ~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。$ o c! S& \* f
& e6 H5 _' C3 R$ G" V3 G1 ?我说,“你一定很累吧”?她微笑着回答说,“习惯了”。 1 Y$ z9 v1 |, q& T1 g& E; q6 A7 m+ }* \8 }
我接着问,“那么,健康风险呢?你经常被感染吗”? + j0 w$ b% K5 j) p4 F: g$ I& j0 \. N5 R
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。” 9 c2 N3 _! n2 N6 `% Q; v & W& n' {' F P- O1 J, t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。 + D7 x7 y, J' e8 ]% a. A) Z6 w9 g. V, v# G
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。+ e; ^0 `# \2 y0 h! U& E4 J' H
不戴安全套的权利 & m/ U# O3 l3 e8 T; C+ v- q6 ^ % W0 n' }/ x0 q' w7 y- Q* \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。, ?0 A& b. s" K$ ?) N
6 r# P6 _7 z! i5 h/ [( p2 F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”? ; X( W2 ]. A; r8 n5 S! |- L* M' L7 L
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。 A2 x% u3 W( g8 f( A
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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?% [5 C- i% I) T8 V, Z/ @( z' d$ H3 ^
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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。 - a! E& R% @7 @$ ~ # ]0 J! Y+ R! ^1 b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。 L- p; Y1 C4 n. P( o
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一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。 7 S1 P! b+ ]6 _6 j ! e' r; t" F3 t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。 - Q. @2 m. k" Z6 i1 \ ! |) \" O) C w2 i: T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。 5 e, g5 |) M6 L, _2 y1 e, k + ~7 t& m0 i7 a) g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……. ! H/ Q" W: H) @8 b0 Y3 k/ \3 q+ o [8 e! M
" Q( N, a3 _7 VCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles * D c! o/ d3 z- p# ^; p+ a
* U" I+ h @& f |$ T3 k; fCalifornia'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. 0 ^& T" U7 }7 ~4 m; c- a # h3 S0 @- V) c' |# Q' H+ ALight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.- K) J ?, z6 z; ^
, }9 X# m' Q/ XI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.6 a# q5 u' P( h2 ^( ~2 ` a- e: B
# l9 N, @: ~+ ?" u# ~" H XWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. / P) Q# o: N4 ~( _7 i( G% @* p* V3 x4 W F
The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. ' ^0 v6 z. \ y! W2 p . I7 s! t9 W7 RPerformers 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./ h; J* J6 @) h7 I7 m0 G# B4 E
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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.: p/ n2 i9 l4 ]5 I) T4 \% E, y
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Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.6 J P: a: d6 f! p
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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. ) @' C2 {. l6 I ; S9 m1 z8 w# Z1 IThe problem, increasingly, is revenue.6 o1 g7 C7 |! z2 c9 h6 v6 s
4 d+ G A( M* T. GLike the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. # i4 d# l! M1 m" u! {( N 7 I- }* @4 }8 ^; o8 \' t6 tDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. [6 c/ b% {$ G; F/ f6 S3 P* A" G4 [
' ]4 G; Q# u( v4 j( oAnd the economic downturn does not help. - C* z* x3 V# G9 T ' P6 E1 c; W @) t; h0 q ?& _"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully./ D3 v8 }2 \8 V- v* |
+ f5 v% v* H! _6 ~The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. 6 t) ~5 @) m& n8 H' L8 | ) F+ e! s; Y/ o# nFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. * I, C: x V+ n6 M4 c# q Z5 n' ~ C* C; k9 O- A
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. ) n% P& e9 p" m * [# T0 b- y' H% E* h) j, Y' nBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say.3 M$ o" S5 i7 q* t
$ x- B* ]: S4 s8 d, g3 UGonorrhoea ( v1 D& R5 K; F! Z3 p0 H% M1 T ~4 t! ~. s" `
Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. & V( u3 M; A' u& |" V ; z, A, t3 _0 P M4 c- }A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. . T- j- n- c! }* u6 |5 M, O$ k5 R4 D, _* Q
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.8 Y9 T" m0 K7 L# \5 U2 y
7 ]2 X; u7 T% y/ E"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?") {9 b* J/ U8 p2 C( o3 ], e9 R4 m
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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. 6 S3 b) \4 ~3 [1 \5 A) y- n! y& h5 a/ h4 ~+ y
Each day would be 15 hours long. 6 g8 Z/ D8 l$ U( ~) `, |4 M 7 c* G: D1 |$ J+ D" r* @"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.3 Z2 p& ` c* S! I
( S5 K. Z$ ~7 y% e# l+ w# U"You get used to it," she smiled.: y& E' }) a e' ?* T/ W" A
( W/ c. T, d7 z# y6 v6 D2 B"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?"' l1 V0 i: D! C6 c1 q8 a
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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." 0 G. Q) m& ~/ Q. m3 C8 M0 I( n t9 P
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. " c3 d( @% r8 n9 f9 T! V% }% \ 9 ~, A. m* ^# h. ] x9 \Expensive lawsuits 1 U4 Z& y& h+ s: _4 P5 Q0 b( c n' E 2 O( N$ j P9 m5 g* [0 @( p4 QIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. # Q% s1 l8 j6 y" A' D! l* [& _6 P3 ] Q
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. : v$ e6 t& ? h; a% R* ], C# ~ , Y4 e: F! d. W/ k- A9 s) m! oIt 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. 0 ^2 n' g Z3 [( h: d' V1 O' h' u# G, e6 H1 E+ B0 O7 u
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.$ ~) j" W% m5 z1 K2 E! P7 G
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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?"4 K3 k0 ^3 G9 O* E( z2 ~/ o
% `# O- x" Y/ C d- vI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. 1 p" q3 Q% h# k) s) H0 S, }# n4 c4 l" y, t+ A( L% w$ 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?! D8 a2 @7 X) a" A% y
( l1 I7 ~9 I5 W5 S1 ~( j3 B) rThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.6 A# B$ s' {6 Q. ?) P! _- {
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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. ! f H4 x2 ]5 k- b; J. L. O5 Z3 B1 T) k8 T
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them." w$ Y8 J% X2 y3 l# _+ `+ d4 f2 m
' E9 e" U) p5 I7 g I/ \6 G; UThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.8 z$ S4 r3 a- x& L6 H, k
* e1 ~. m/ S: L$ N, x; m" p0 Q; sThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene.! ]4 }+ u9 v/ M B, H6 J
7 C0 \9 ?, D0 z# j4 G$ g: K T* aI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. 4 O6 n" i# u# L. h( z1 y3 E: t% B1 y- u& R1 g& Y! A; L3 L! i! n * T2 a! W* b) v7 S
8 [% c* k* R2 W3 m( e $ b: d0 |+ n+ P: TCalls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004