Movers and shakers

Published on Saturday 1 November 2008 18:51

PATRICK SWAYZE Filming again less than a year after being given a grim diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, Patrick Swayze described chemotherapy as "hell on wheels" but said work had kept him feeling positive.

Swayze, 56, best known for his dance instructor role in the film Dirty Dancing, underwent months of chemotherapy and an experimental drug treatment to beat one of the most virulent forms of cancer, which experts say has only a 5% five-year survival rate.

"I do find myself, at the end of the day riding home, sort of catching myself with a smile on my face," Swayze said. "I'm proud of what I'm doing."

ELVIS

The King may have left the building several decades ago, but his earning power is far from diminished with Forbes.com ranking him the top-earning dead celebrity for the second year in a row. Elvis Presley pulled in $52m (32m) in the past year, helped by increased visitors to his Graceland estate to commemorate the 30th anniversary of his death and new ventures like the Elvis Sirius Satellite Radio show, according to the website.

BRITNEY SPEARS

The troubled singer's father will maintain indefinite control of the troubled Britney Spears' personal and financial affairs after a Los Angeles court commissioner extended the arrangement beyond 2008. The conservatorship, which had been set to expire on December 31, also allows the people controlling 26-year-old Spears' affairs – a group that includes her father Jamie and several lawyers – a say in her professional career.

NEIL YOUNG

The 62-year-old rocker-activist decided he wouldn't be 'Rockin' In The Free World' when he cancelled a concert rather than cross a union picket line.

Young said he was "extremely disappointed to have to choose between satisfying my fans or backing my brothers and sisters of the IATSE". The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, of which Young and his wife are honorary lifetime members, is in dispute with The Forum's owner, Faithful Central Bible Church.