* x- K h/ g D$ q" d' R. x0 o' ^重返《星际迷航》的拍摄现场，我和主要演员之一宝碧·斯塔尔聊了起来。宝碧是大学毕业生，以前是国家级游泳运动员，专业的双簧管手。短短的27年，她的一生真可是阅历丰富。 7 ?1 b, q, Y" n( x, b+ n$ _1 y# l+ H ?8 d* O7 }
宝碧说，改行做色情电影演员，主要是为了追求性探险。她说，“这是找乐趣。身边的人都高高兴兴，你有什么可烦的呢”？ 9 ^ A& ]. p& v# L3 \3 i4 J # v( v- S. h( ?- X1 V5 i9 C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。! F- ]4 q. H) x- C: _
4 T3 O/ @& t' R i7 n/ F( L我说，“你一定很累吧”？她微笑着回答说，“习惯了”。+ P7 p8 N1 t. R+ c% y! H, Q6 d
; R" b4 Q1 g8 h' ~我接着问，“那么，健康风险呢？你经常被感染吗”？ 6 E4 [) K7 b; U6 d . f0 `4 g7 c; A' v/ H0 t J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。” 2 M* V! u+ ^1 F5 o" O; ^2 y # M) ?* Z) U. r' X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。. R, k$ j: ?0 B2 {. m9 I2 x
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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。 ! U9 J& E: Z: G8 f不戴安全套的权利, e; Q5 c5 F8 o+ M% O
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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。5 i5 E" A. p# R$ i
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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”？ 4 A6 ^% b" Z) U) @9 E 3 e& f3 P5 \ T/ ^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 z9 k2 m& z" i; v$ E) Z* o9 L
( M. r- `1 C6 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？ / ?1 C; x3 v" |8 T " j) P' `: Y u# P% s* 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。 ^& g, a1 U W$ v, L- b+ d/ L' `, ^+ Q7 |
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。 N) Y) F/ D, Q! u9 @ I$ s9 d" t/ f& T0 Y& p8 D9 U一些演员私下告诉我，他们盼着立法赶快生效。7 @, U! o# I( k- x
6 G3 S# ^/ F: A2 x( e3 e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。$ X8 K0 q: O D! [+ K: c, n/ k
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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 _# ]2 h4 P1 o8 t ]. t( t" ]7 Y% s
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……. - p& N9 r# u& {' b; e$ U, s- z* X' T+ r6 {
! V; {' W: D) iCalifornian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 2 u! D4 j! m- ~0 Y' o" O9 g9 H; M% P. A! \7 }# T+ d
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.+ _7 C- f" d- N2 o# w8 Z% 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. 1 F Z, }: S* [3 P9 v7 w" o* p7 o- i8 v3 g/ K% m& D u
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. 8 z! l! c5 p' T' v: N; m1 ^2 t" J8 l; b# T6 E" @% t3 e, e v
What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.& A9 h3 N* {9 G2 A
0 {0 k9 z ^ l" t4 R& C* q- BThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. + R# ? L/ S4 u' d* ^4 j; X: f: g% ]8 H6 ^! [
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. 3 P+ M$ P. V2 Z x- h . a. }8 h/ V% N. L4 O2 yThis 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. . h, ?) u5 u& T% x/ Q ' X& X& h( O# u1 H9 B; ?Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.' X$ M" N9 m, ?9 P
8 E7 h' Q* N1 [6 N: N4 wFantasy 4 n4 M' [+ m7 J2 ^) a/ v2 ?, {5 V+ W- C' d# N7 r3 `
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.. y. g/ {: O/ U& h
. J- O) C# `. u8 o6 ?$ AThe problem, increasingly, is revenue. % u3 T+ I- x/ c o# [$ ^5 s! B9 u9 \6 ~ {4 @# G
Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.% @1 w1 D7 g/ n4 _# t9 \) h
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DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. . `2 h# h- U! P( u3 A' ~6 l% ?. C0 a- P7 r" T
And the economic downturn does not help.4 d9 j& x, E8 ^- J+ u
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"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. / ?8 r- t: v1 T+ k 1 ~$ F1 b' w0 h& v, DThe economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.2 c8 M C$ {( q5 v/ Z/ o6 o. L
8 J8 f L7 @5 d5 s3 q6 a1 gFor years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.& N8 F9 u0 R2 Z/ X5 b
9 I. @; e$ {2 l% hHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set. - R, n0 c# b# _0 t* S5 Y5 H 4 q6 m4 m' o. `) {, qBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say./ U4 { [$ a6 S* v; [, T( ~
! j6 I# s1 b# E: y* A0 a5 oGonorrhoea- T3 E% y5 {/ C1 E! P
2 a) y+ f7 s$ j& q0 z8 GBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. , a* I$ I k# Y9 c8 t; x1 h' x" @$ V; }$ J
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years. 6 D; T% ^3 i T2 T+ m1 Z& h( S+ [* `! I" A
She turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.) D+ U+ |8 V4 \& W2 s
9 F/ z) t: z+ E$ Y ]% J3 T"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" 8 y: E" ^+ e* R3 u$ |5 q2 w6 F* ^; G" f
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. f. Z' Y& r; q3 P3 S) x! E5 I 4 K1 Y3 n' {1 r& m. yEach day would be 15 hours long.- ~" M T8 e1 r8 l/ h- }% i5 m
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"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. . i: v: A* S. k2 H, j( s( {( W& ], i" `; g0 ]# u0 ]. W
"You get used to it," she smiled. 7 _3 e) o8 `# [, @0 b6 R& E' L ( F7 G4 d; v! ^"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" / n& @, |1 O2 T5 N) A / a! {1 M$ N. o1 P2 h9 K& Z" h"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." - ?+ v. k& b5 ]; ` a0 O5 b6 a8 R4 f) k* @ T4 ~2 c8 I4 I) n
There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.$ ]% O) \$ E$ \4 R$ u X
- I5 O9 M3 Z9 v) x8 ]5 ]2 a5 YExpensive lawsuits / C% n; c# g; o3 M, o4 { ) R+ S. G! h/ J \ OIn fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.! R' \ l2 j+ C3 O% E$ l7 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.' U, V5 G4 D/ z
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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. 1 ~$ p3 k' r" Q' \! g : F6 C' U; e7 H/ RNow, 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.! Y. z% t( y, s! P& R I: Q
; \/ f m; d2 @& x3 ?) ?3 _! _( `"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"' T$ i5 @; P d2 i# W0 @
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I struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. ; G* o% O0 U2 }+ @ ' B5 t# v) H. M6 l5 r6 rBut 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?$ J, Z+ [3 o6 O+ {# }+ W6 q& X
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The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.9 N9 T+ W: X1 s, F4 r9 \! R
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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.. x3 O W) F. ~6 _) r: z0 }
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A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them.9 f% v3 n. O: @! q: A- X
# N' a; B- x9 `The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.! M4 I5 H" j2 V& Z) |6 t
0 d# L* _- x# B% CThat view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. " _4 v# f& r5 l1 J & J5 H! R% l. H9 e6 N$ w0 `- WI decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. 8 n6 g' ]* y" T; o3 ?* r- m( Q# m/ U2 M" {: i1 P) r* u 7 o% \/ |! c: j: X/ Z: I5 t" x7 ^" N- t3 U3 B+ w7 Y$ K 8 t+ P8 o1 u' h3 A& I1 V, w! t2 z3 A7 R
Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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