Christian Bautista's asking price 'too high'

Christian Bautista's talent fee has shot up following his successful shows in Indonesia. My source tells me that his asking price for an out-of-town concert is now P500,000.

One Cebuano producer found the fee too high and tried to haggle with Christian's manager, Carlo Orosa. But Carlo put his foot down. The producer had no choice but to give in because the concert had already been postponed twice. Besides, the tickets for the new date had already been distributed.

My source said the poor producer ended up losing a lot because the show did not draw that big a crowd. Why is Christian asking that high a fee? Carlo claims Christian's value has gone up because he has acquired a big following abroad.

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Jaycee Parker just had a liposuction when she attended the press preview for her launching movie, Digital Viva's "Ilusyon." Dr. Manny Calayan did the procedure four days earlier, so the bandages still had not come off. "It still hurts," the Hot Babe said.

But the effect of liposuction was immediately apparent. The actress looked slimmer than when I last interviewed her. She said her waistline had shrunk from 28 to 23 inches.

It's the second time Jaycee had a liposuction. Dr. Calayan also did the first procedure on Jaycee's tummy.

The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board gave "Ilusyon," where Jaycee stars with Yul Servo, an R18 rating. The Cinema Evaluation Board, meanwhile, gave it an A grade.

There were several scenes in which Jaycee went topless. I asked her if her boyfriend Danilo Barrios has seen the movie. "He hasn't. He's not in town," she said. There are also love scenes with Yul, but she said she never does a love scene without plaster for "protection." "Yul wanted to do it without a plaster, but I said no."

The movie is about a nude model (Jaycee) who became an obsession of a provincial lad (Yul) who wants to make his mark as a painter in the big city. The two engaged in a torrid affair. Their private fantasy world came crashing down after the model is stricken with a life-threatening disease.

The film is set in 1950s Manila. According to the directors, Paolo Villaluna and Ellen Ramos, the movie was shot in an apartment in Cubao. It was spotted by writer Jon Red who felt the apartment conveyed the mood of the era.

But back to Jaycee. She denies she's living in with Danilo. "Sometimes he sleeps in my house, sometimes I sleep in his house. Besides my dad doesn't approve of us living together."

She also denies rumors that she's pregnant. "Four months ago the talk was that I was two months or even four months pregnant. If that's the case, I would have been six months preggy by now!"

She says she has many more dreams to pursue. "I want my own billboard on EDSA," she laughs.

Turning serious, she told me she wants her own house. She also said she was looking forward to the release of her mother from a jail in Laguna, where she's doing time on a drug pushing charge.

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Dr. Calayan, GMA 7's resident doctor, has just returned from the European Cosmetic Surgeons Convention and Workshop held in Italy. He was the only Filipino delegate there, and he demonstrated the latest laser technology for removing body fats.

It's called YAG Laserlipolisis and it will be available at the Calayan Surgicentre and Laser Clinic at the Medical Plaza in Makati beginning this week.

"The Europeans have been impressed with Filipino know how and the advance technology that we have in this field. I'm happy that Filipinos have earned such a high respect," he said.

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Maui Taylor a movie producer? You'd better believe it. The sex siren is seriously contemplating the big step. "Hopefully I can do it before the year ends," she said in an interview.

That isn't stopping her from doing a movie with Katya Santos under Viva Films. Maui has had a spat with Viva, her mother studio, in the past, but they seem to have patched up.

"They're looking for a good material for me and Katya," she said.

Maui wants to project that image of a girl with a mind of her own, notwithstanding her relationship with Bryan Revilla. "What I was doing before, I'm still free to do today," she asserted.

Officially, she isn't a member of the Viva Hot Babes anymore, although she still joins the group in its shows.

The Hot Babes are scheduled to do a show in the US, Hot Babes in the Flesh, but they're still working on their visa.

What about the threat of Hot Babe Jen Rosendahl to quit the group if Maui returns?

"It's not my problem," said Maui. "It doesn't bother me." Jen is vacationing in Australia so don't expect any face-off soon.

Maui had developed a reputation for being a rebel when she joined "Extra Challenge." She was rumored to be taking drugs during the show's taping. Not true, says Maui. What she was taking was dextrose powder, which she mixes with her drink. "Before the start of the challenge I had just left the hospital. I have a heart problem, you see."

She also had run-ins with fellow challenger Joyce Jimenez, but Maui just brushes them aside. "I don't have time for petty things. I'm happy as I am. If I hurt someone, I'm sorry."