The child molestation case against Michael Jackson was unveiled yesterday by District Attorney Thomas Sneddon, who accused the pop star of exposing his accuser to "strange sexual behavior". The prosecutor addressed the alleged victim by name, telling the court that he could not continue his case without identifying the teen boy and his family. He said Jackson groped the boy, and one of his associates threatened to kill the accuser's mother if he told anyone. Sneddon said, "(The accuser) will describe to you his sexual experiences with Michael Jackson. He will do it here in open court and he will do it with the whole world watching." Judge Rodney S. Melville opened the day in the Santa Maria, California, courthouse by reading the indictment against Jackson to the jury, in which the charges against the Bad singer are outlined and five co-conspirators, who have not been indicted, are named. All five are Jackson employees. In the indictment, 28 acts were allegedly committed in the conspiracy to keep the molestation under wraps, prosecutors charge. Jackson has pleaded not guilty to all counts. According to Sneddon, the case centered on Jackson's "desperate attempt" to protect his career following the 2003 television documentary Living With Michael Jackson, in which the alleged victim is seen holding hands with Jackson, who said on camera that he allowed children to sleep in his bed. The airing of the documentary was "a train wreck", according to one of the coconspirators, Sneddon said.

Oscars host Chris Rock infuriated 2004 winner Sean Penn at Sunday night's Academy Awards, when he doubted the acting ability of Penn's latest co-star Jude Law. The comedian placed Law as a 'second choice' for casting agents after Tom Cruise in between award presentations at the ceremony in Hollywood's Kodak Theater. Rock said, "You want Tom Cruise and all you can get is Jude Law? Wait. You want Russell Crowe and all you can get is Colin Farrell? Wait. Alexander is not Gladiator. You want Denzel Washington and all you can get is me? Wait. Denzel's a fine actor. He would have never made Pootie Tang." When Penn arrived on stage to present the Best Actress trophy to Hilary Swank, he took time to defend Law, his co-star in All The King's Men, which is currently filming in New Orleans, Louisiana. Penn says, "Jude is one of our finest actors. What Jude and all other talented actors know is that for every great, talented actor, there are five actresses who are nothing short of magic." Backstage, Rock said he had spoken to Penn about their disagreement. He explains, "Sean said because he's working with Jude on a movie right now he felt the need to... I don't know. It's kind of funny."

Christian Slater's anticipated Broadway appearance has been delayed by a week, to allow the actor more time in front of an audience. Slater joins The Glass Menagerie on March 8, replacing Dallas Roberts as Tom, the narrator of the Tennessee Williams drama. The production was originally set to open on March 15 at New York City's Ethel Barrymore Theatre. It will now open on March 22, according to show spokesman Philip Rinaldi. The revival stars Jessica Lange as the domineering mother Amanda Wingfield.

Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry has won a three-year restraining order against a security guard she has accused of sending a series of threatening letters to her home. Robert Sawyer said in court papers his contact with the Monster's Ball star was a result of mistaken identity and possible fraud and he begged the beauty for forgiveness. Neither Berry nor Sawyer were in court for yesterday's hearing where a judge ordered Sawyer to stay away from Berry's home and place of work and stop phoning, emailing or writing to her. Sawyer wrote in documents submitted to the court that the contacts started after he met a woman who introduced herself as Halle Berry and asked him to write a manuscript for her. He said, "I think Berry and myself are victims of mistaken identity, and possible fraud. (I apologize for) disturbing (Berry) the way I've done. It was not my intention to do so." According to papers filed on behalf of the actress, Sawyer wrote saying he wanted to spend Valentine's Day with Berry. He wrote, "Leave a message where I can reach you. I'm not playing now." Referring to the manuscript he had written, Sawyer added, "Call me. I'm serious, so stop horsing around. I'm tired as hell of not hearing from you. I was told that you'd talk to me when I finished. Its (sic) finished, so call me damn it."

Gwyneth Paltrow fought off reports her marriage to Chris Martin is in trouble, after she failed to show up with him at the Oscars - she was just sticking to her red carpet date rule. British tabloids have been reporting the couple are struggling to balance married life, parenthood and their busy professional lives, but the actress insists there's nothing wrong. And her decision not to take her husband to the Academy Awards is in keeping with her bid to keep her private life private. Speaking exclusively to Oprah Winfrey's roving reporter and friend Gayle King backstage at the ceremony on Sunday, the Oscar winner said, "You see people sort of get together and break up and it always seems like the ones who are the most public with it sort of suffer the most publicly if it doesn't work out... It just seems like it invites the whole world in and I just prefer to not do it that way." And of the press reports that all is not well at home, Paltrow insisted, "We're a happy household."

Orlando Bloom and Kate Bosworth attended Global Green's Rock The Earth party last week - but they maintained a distance from each other to avoid any conflict following their split earlier this year. The Lord Of The Rings heart-throb and the Beyond The Sea beauty were together for two years, but busy work schedules and jet-set lifestyles eventually made their relationship untenable. But the former-couple reunited in support of the American charity promoting anti- global warming measures - other stars in attendance included Tim Robbins, Salma Hayek, Penelope Cruz and Julie Delpy.

Pop beauty Britney Spears is hoping to avoid a potential dog war with Paris Hilton by backtracking on comments she made about the hotel heiress' pooch Tinkerbell. The singer started her canine family last spring with Maltese puppy Lacy Loo, before buying Bit Bit and more recently Lucky. And Spears attracted headlines when she recently enthused, "My dogs are stylin' and profilin' because Von Dutch just sent them the coolest little clothes. I think my dogs are so much cuter than Tinkerbell." But the Louisiana native is now hoping to avoid falling out with Hilton over her comments. In a statement on her website, Spears says, "I hope none of you really took my comments seriously when I was talking about Bit Bit and Tinkerbell. I was just being silly and of course I think that Tinkerbell is very cute. Who knows? Maybe they will have a little play date together!"

Will Smith harbors no regrets over his decision to turn down the role of Neo in The Matrix trilogy - because Keanu Reeves was "born" to play the part. The Independence Day heart-throb is relieved when he watches Reeves starring in the sci-fi movies, because he fears he would not have done the role justice. The 36-year-old says, "That's the role Keanu was born to play. When I watch the movie and I see the choices he made, there are a hundred occasions when I think, 'I would have messed that up.'"

A writer is so eager to land Josh Hartnett in his planned movie, he's taken out an advertisement in the actor's hometown newspaper to lure him. Paul Martin Hennessey says he doesn't know anybody in Hollywood and failed in his efforts to reach Hartnett's agent through traditional means. So he's taken out a half-page ad in City Pages, a free alternative newspaper in St Paul, Minnesota. The ad reads, "Dear Mr. Hartnett. In the land of the free and the home of the brave where equal opportunity is open to all, there seems to be a gap in the American Dream, actually, more of a catch 22." He goes on to tell Hartnett he has written a script "that will probably win you the award for Best Actor in the Academy Awards" as well as the Screen Actors Guild Awards, before adding, "However, it has been a real struggle because I am an unknown. I don't know anyone in the business. I don't have connections. I don't have a lot of money, although this ad is costing me more than I can really afford as I am retired and on a fixed income. But, then this is a last resort." Hartnett has yet to respond to the offer.

Jackass hell-raiser Johnny Knoxville has slammed rumors he's romanced Jessica Simpson behind her husband Nick Lachey's back. The 33-year-old is furious about reports he seduced Simpson while they filmed movie remake The Dukes Of Hazzard, insisting the stars of MTV reality show Newlyweds: Nick And Jessica are virtually inseparable. He tells gossip website Pagesix.Com, "It's such bulls**t. He visits her on the set, and she is just the sweetest girl."