8 P( M F* O0 @* p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。( `$ Z0 z+ Y& F- [: a
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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。 . W6 s2 F5 ~4 X6 x! ]$ |+ t不戴安全套的权利: z9 K8 k4 @3 H5 M$ O' G
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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。 " b F2 G9 \% X4 H; d( S- d5 R . h2 V. ^, { c) v" j+ Z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”?: Q; q# |/ p0 `' V& p: @0 }) J& {9 h
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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 L/ F# @( D+ u
3 w. K. }) g; X, I- L$ u8 v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?* J: l) ]- t* O6 D: k' {3 U5 t
- U! o0 B) E" S# V: m0 ?! ?1 M# k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。 / b3 j# t5 }2 J) ]- [+ C5 b8 ^+ Y: D4 C, ? U* y6 u
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。 # ~, I/ @9 u' {( J$ o( t( K* c' M7 O9 c. A' B [4 J0 [
一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。 - o2 E6 k1 _9 P, m0 w& X 6 H! ?% _) ]. z' B; b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。 8 B7 a5 g' A3 f& K6 N 7 Q# F% y- p4 i1 h+ @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。 - i9 \& J3 z6 L5 v/ D) I5 D/ e4 y$ D
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……. " i6 v- g6 b' M6 K2 [& o! D5 O8 X, a7 ]) B: W; V+ q( o1 i
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Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles ) h5 U! D9 }( T5 |, A4 g- K( I1 h- I& B# k5 ^) _" T
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./ h" E( s! Y4 i" E$ j
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Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. 3 \8 x: B3 l# u1 d 9 l% C9 G3 z# M T+ W+ CI had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things./ ^" j) s8 t7 L! e+ l; c0 U8 G
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What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.0 P2 d# _5 ?' Y8 F+ Y: g
) e( y1 B$ R+ ?' _ {: F; Q; _The porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.! L1 h6 K2 U. F. A1 t+ i7 ]' P5 F
, S! M/ T* j# M" H7 ~0 z$ VPerformers 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. ! X) q$ G6 a, q! U ' F. H0 v4 d& Z/ Z* {+ bThis 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./ q* z! E. r# W- ]
T0 X" k* ^2 J9 Q$ q- _5 L UOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.# w( w) ^6 Y# o2 A% O% |2 U; ~ C; O
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Fantasy# j" y M) q$ p& K: x2 G
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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.7 R% x) }2 N8 f5 v1 g; x6 F! h- N
0 x" m( q4 v: a+ g7 V8 x( f) { uThe problem, increasingly, is revenue. + f2 U$ N9 D4 b# l& f: I$ e% l : S x7 z! W$ C4 C6 {4 `Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch. 3 I7 Y0 M9 s# y" s9 k1 ~' H2 o % V1 T0 E Q* f. E. wDVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.! o& J( d5 f5 g: P3 ]
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And the economic downturn does not help. 3 C, z% c% @% p# o9 w" {0 M' y' N5 o* s7 `
"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. 1 k/ @3 `- E' X" o, T( a" l6 P0 _
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations.. h# n* W1 S; ?
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For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms.- x3 e3 g6 R& R
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Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.1 P2 T6 N2 O* V) ^' m$ K
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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.# p6 i/ C0 S: a6 l
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Gonorrhoea% W* z$ V9 i9 o- S. L# s
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Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.$ W, i7 Z3 B) d$ x$ d
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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. : v/ K* G& g7 z; e8 T" o 1 ^' q* s- s' E0 E7 GShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. $ B# [3 n5 h1 G3 P' X+ M: `1 t. M . A. H; i* c8 e+ h"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" 4 ^ E+ N' E! z$ S( _4 E# t 9 @, c8 g) A& ~1 [9 vHer 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" l0 u( |6 b! Y; g. o% P# r1 h$ w4 ?$ \+ h6 k
Each day would be 15 hours long.$ Q: w+ z, b% ^( }# J1 q1 S3 w" @
4 s. o U% v( r"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.& y9 m9 k+ J$ s1 r# U
. R% p* @; R6 n" j, B6 |& `"You get used to it," she smiled. ) g* e+ z0 o- ? T [. @3 P9 _2 G: o: W: H5 B2 C) N# J7 L
"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" 0 T: R$ ]6 e- g9 j+ q( [ + F, l# P3 n3 }, R. v r! o"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." b |; p6 Y* O; J7 H& I4 m
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There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided.: P% C) d# N3 M* |& H( ?0 c
4 U3 M& n% F9 Q* xExpensive lawsuits - _5 H/ O3 ?) i$ e4 P) s+ p G/ g7 H4 k; W! j
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business. 8 m# w- r/ \8 j* Y: b1 w, Z2 ]& i/ ^( P3 |
A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it. " Y5 e4 _8 W X" ^6 ? b3 V# G: n; [( \& ~( V, u
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. 8 b3 \+ Z4 t, G+ M5 I L& P. h# P1 DNow, 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. ! ^" p; N' q( V. I; M% }. v ! Z' l5 u* z/ l' L% |1 e" f( |! C5 d/ q"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"$ o3 M4 E' e! d
- Y V5 k3 H: T8 `5 I, OI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.- e3 n$ C2 j# R; g- N3 R* z
( h7 ^. ]6 @+ p7 S; T7 mBut 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?& G( X3 k2 a+ u
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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.( n% T. D: P' o! ]& S8 i. U1 \5 E& [5 p
" m4 U8 H) |# y% v6 [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." |' @/ ]2 X/ O- |( B
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A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. & {( _/ d c9 Q% i1 u8 v3 {" D 8 |" J# p3 W/ x- F4 P5 ]' uThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. " c0 x1 N7 p; L- T1 I6 L p6 p6 p- a; U/ M
That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. + j9 M, l- `; d# z6 L9 l4 t+ B6 Z0 z# }% y- B' q# w
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain.$ A- Q# j9 G& L
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Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004