2 }4 F( \- }5 V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。) B# u# T, j5 j. [9 Q' F
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我说,“你一定很累吧”?她微笑着回答说,“习惯了”。1 Z& m7 ~# I* P
5 K) C0 ~# M8 U* }我接着问,“那么,健康风险呢?你经常被感染吗”?) l2 I0 O0 b! X( c
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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。” 9 H0 w7 s& V5 m1 e7 A ; P# r1 |) c% ^* H0 U% N. E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。 7 H [ \1 F, r+ D9 J. E* g 7 ?" B4 m9 }. _7 q1980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。' d5 E) u4 G, J& p6 z, F
不戴安全套的权利+ u8 g0 W K. P1 `
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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。3 j" d/ i1 w2 f
2 a. P2 y+ x9 R# U$ s2 m0 U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 _7 Y; Y7 b) x. `9 Q0 c& c0 C" u, g2 B) I% A/ K( i* @! 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。 c; {* t: c/ s; |$ @% J" Y$ C
4 [6 p" d* E1 H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 x9 o( _# F5 Q1 K; @+ V3 y% |) k0 R7 h. |5 }$ b
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。 4 @7 m! S3 h5 u, V. r! M5 c; `' Q: e9 h( M3 w$ s: N X: S$ n
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。6 n6 Z! w0 d5 p) l
9 d8 I7 C" S- \0 J; t一些演员私下告诉我,他们盼着立法赶快生效。3 h+ p4 N1 c: n! Q
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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。' T. K0 y) u' j! ~) f8 t
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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。 7 ?: h) m2 A% I0 Z6 ?/ s 3 U8 A& B/ g" ]- h+ f3 O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……. % R% l( v; L8 B! P8 B8 Q2 b 2 Q9 O6 N7 i1 G2 x% O" w' k/ C1 i' Y2 A7 O0 w: o
Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 5 ~5 B C* q8 s% p2 x $ l k$ y/ \1 g0 E! `0 OCalifornia'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.8 n- Q5 g4 j. U. J' j w9 s
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Light drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles.% E. Y/ c: J, v9 h; X
( Q* b) p. v, N" D7 {I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things. f% f% n2 u. R; u' u) H) }
. }4 L) d7 v1 R- q; X( k% D/ eWhat I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect.* n; p& U' b5 y8 G5 [8 s3 U# R6 M
, k% {) J" S3 n' TThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga. * o, D- S' `' L- s- V, z/ u 1 _. F% q1 h/ W0 OPerformers 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.2 W) k' M9 q) C% f: L
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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.) u8 R. C( ~! R V6 Q5 P& B4 X
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Only 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.& B/ i( ?+ i$ U. _6 m
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Fantasy " V- E- s0 s' I6 X! Z5 t . T% C+ F8 Y, V% f$ SThe 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.6 o6 U( w5 I, K# O# K
# |7 t% P- P( G; W `# t4 ]+ V0 BThe problem, increasingly, is revenue. 1 z [; N( e( H9 Y) U5 L 4 M, N& ]' {2 e% X* s$ @' n0 ~Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch.5 s, @4 Y4 b+ p F: S) z: S
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DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free. 6 u' k$ b+ q2 D2 F$ Y 8 C7 @% [( ]7 z4 ZAnd the economic downturn does not help.& B& S: R+ f/ t- R
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"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully.0 \$ h/ Q+ o& n9 {$ _# Q7 A0 j) k: E
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The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. . `$ Y+ E" Q7 C" d8 ?" J3 @; l
For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. 6 C/ e4 `% ?' A. E& a, F! {% Y4 I8 W o" K/ P3 W2 m
Health scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.2 f! ~- Z6 W! e* W7 D
# r% N3 x; I% f" PBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say. u Y1 }9 B+ E! b2 n5 ~: v
* C- F$ [( B4 G9 qGonorrhoea ( j7 J: K# f# ?) g# \( s# G" e7 L" k( T2 [2 R# q/ y
Back on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers. & v ]& i% i3 d+ u6 V Z& N+ D& b2 m& ~3 o! s5 w
A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.7 o$ c- `0 t, }9 q/ A. ]
3 K9 [% c7 T4 y$ u; Z) J6 PShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure. $ k# o" l+ t" q1 J* G4 `# @2 n R: a( e3 C) O
"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" $ H6 h+ T0 }. D; L3 Z- H& ]) \6 ? @! T
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. % m* p2 i! a! C d; x. Q8 S+ x5 U7 {. W3 P1 F# Y
Each day would be 15 hours long. % L3 s | z5 W- T. ^: G7 T h. q) u, Y5 }1 _* B# U! N0 F# C"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested.6 N) }1 Y7 r% e+ M0 T
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"You get used to it," she smiled.! T: z: @0 w; [! C
0 a8 O! C _$ b; e# H"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?" " C3 M3 t* A6 M9 d ' ?$ d X0 d: _"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.": w' p T/ R" i- v* f
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There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. 9 u) b5 U0 T, h3 {% u 6 P9 T9 _& ~( ]6 TExpensive lawsuits 1 o/ ?. K' d3 P) r) i/ ]. _8 t6 n* j+ s2 S/ l% k" K
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.7 ^- d' \4 K- X% \
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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. & S" y( T5 j3 ?/ }/ D& \1 ~/ x # w1 E. P# x" aIt 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. $ d) c! h9 c/ T2 \5 o2 Z; n+ g* F$ k# v( q
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.2 S3 C* e5 y5 R, Y) d! [% K
# O1 [1 T( Z) A0 Z% F& M+ T"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?" 8 g9 Q# H9 f2 X% y' j8 S, w 3 L! ? x b4 H, ZI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment. : D4 V1 O0 Z, d# x3 z ) K" {/ w4 C) i: q3 ^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?- G% ?: w: a6 o {, J
! N: {+ d0 o* _, f) X# KThe authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection. 6 L4 s- |- x# r3 q ; O0 a+ g) ]9 T, C2 X0 K7 lIt 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.: a8 C" t/ x" }+ u
! x6 h) X0 `$ B0 S1 kA number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. , b. l# o( b& |7 o ' B e. p: K# e, wThe producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants.3 U( @3 ~2 Z% ?3 ~' r" s4 S$ i
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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. , M2 N% F. n! m: @" X" H! Y) ?% m- Y' s6 O% L
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. 4 r/ N& ^7 y$ p. ~ # J/ j9 ]( p* q; U. M 7 n/ K5 j! v5 w A, [0 N' M' E* `# Q" E% E 6 W3 [& f+ A% y9 l0 h7 z
Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004