Michael Jackson has been acquitted of all 10 counts relating to his child molestation trial. The pop superstar, 46, walked away from the courthouse in Santa Barbara, California a free man after four months of daily court visits as he fought charges of molesting a 13-year-old boy at his Neverland Ranch home and conspiring to commit child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion. Jackson pleaded innocent throughout the trial. The King Of Pop was given 90 minutes to make his way to the courthouse from his nearby Neverland Ranch, Santa Barbara home after it was announced jurors, who have been deliberating since June 3, had arrived at a verdict. Wearing a dark suit, black tie and blue sunglasses, Jackson was joined by his parents and siblings Jermaine, Janet and LaToya when he arrived at the courthouse. His entourage was rushed into the court showing little emotion. Jackson's mother Katharine burst into tears when the first verdict was announced and the Jackson clan held hands and hugged each other. The verdict was delivered via a live audio feed by Santa Barbara County Court Clerk Lorna Fry just after 2pm local time. Jackson dabbed his eyes with a handkerchief as the verdict was read out, with Fry stating "not guilty" to every charge. The pop superstar waved and blew kisses to fans as he left court with his family and entourage.

The trial officially began on January 31 when Jackson faced prospective jurors in court. Back then, Superior Court judge Rodney Melville informed the prospective panelists they might have to serve for about six months. The trial began proper on February 28 following jury selection, after two delays - Jackson's attorney Thomas Mesereau stalled proceedings in early February to attend his sister's funeral and Jackson himself held up the trial in mid-February as he spent four days recovering from influenza. Jackson sparked controversy in March when he arrived at court wearing pajamas after he was threatened with an arrest warrant by Judge Melville when he failed to turn up to court on time. The pop superstar had made an early morning stop at hospital after suffering back pains. Over the course of the trial, jurors listened to testimony from Jackson's accuser, his brother, sister and mother and others who have accused the singer of child molestation in the past as well as the pop star's ex-wife Debbie Rowe and celebrities such as Macaulay Culkin, Jay Leno and George Lopez as defense and prosecuting attorneys battled in court. Jackson never took the stand.

The Thriller star made his four month-long court visits a family affair - his parents Joe and Katharine were constantly by his side, while brothers Jermaine, Tito and Randy were regular visitors and sisters LaToya and Janet were occasional companions. Today's verdict came as a surprise to many - jurors had expected to spend the day re-listening to taped testimony from his teenager accuser and re-reading his court testimony. More than 2,000 journalists from 32 countries around the world covered the verdict live from outside the courthouse. Jackson was arrested on November 20, 2003 following a raid on his Neverland Ranch home.

Newly-engaged socialite Paris Hilton is planning to give up public life for family life in just two years time. The 24-year-old hotel heiress-turned-reality TV star insists she'll be ready to truly settle down and be a good wife to Greek fiance Paris Latsis and their children when she turns 26. She tells Newsweek magazine, "I thought it was cute to play a dumb blonde. On TV, I do it because it's funny. I consider myself a businesswoman and a brand. I don't enjoy going out anymore. It's such a pain. It's everyone saying, 'Let's do a deal! Can I have a picture?' I'm just, like, 'These people are such losers. I can't believe I used to love doing this.'"

Russell Crowe's wife Danielle Spencer is disgusted by her husband's claim he threw a telephone at a hotel clerk last Monday because he was lonely. The Gladiator star lost his temper with Mercer Hotel clerk Nestor Estrada during an early morning argument about Crowe's phone connection and allegedly threw his room's telephone against a wall, which police say inflicted minor injuries on Estrada's face. Crowe was arrested and taken to a local police station, where he was put behind bars, while they waited for him to be officially charged with second degree assault and criminal possession of a weapon. And Spencer understands Crowe's claims he was frustrated because he needed to get in touch with her, but she refuses to condone his actions. She says, "(Crowe) is very aware of where he went wrong. I do understand when you're apart, the loneliness kicks in and obviously the phone becomes of paramount importance. This is where it's difficult because I'm not condoning his behavior. I don't want to make excuses for him because I'm certainly not." Crowe has publicly apologized to both Estrada and Danielle on David Letterman's talk show, calling the incident "the most shameful situation I've ever gotten myself in".

Tom Cruise's beliefs in Scientology are based on misinformation, according to US showbiz magazine Entertainment Weekly - after editors checked facts from a recent interview with the movie star. Just weeks after accusing Brooke Shields of being "misinformed" after she championed anti-depressants for helping her deal with post-partum depression, Cruise made a couple of sweeping statements to Entertainment Weekly reporter Benjamin Svetkey. The writer chose to check Cruise's comments and found out he wasn't accurate. Supporting Scientology claims that psychiatry is "a Nazi science", Cruise stated, "Jung (Carl Jung, the father of modern psychiatry) was an editor for the Nazi papers during World War Two," which the magazine's researchers discovered is untrue, according to the New York Center For Jungian Studies. The movie star continued, "Look at the experimentation the Nazis did with electric shock and drugging. Look at the drug methadone. That was originally called Adolophine. It was named after Adolf Hitler." The magazine also questions Cruise on this point, explaining, "According to the Dictionary Of Drugs And Medications... this is an urban legend."

Destiny's Child have announced they will split when their current tour ends in September to fans onstage at a concert in Spain on Sunday night. At the same time as the gig in Barcelona a statement was released in America confirming the news. The trio, which includes Beyonce Knowles, only recently reunited after a three year break, to record and promote new album Destiny Fulfilled. The statement reads: "We have been working together as Destiny's Child, since we were nine, and touring together since we were 14. After a lot of discussion and some deep soul searching, we realized that our current tour has given us the opportunity to leave Destiny's Child on a high note, united in our friendship and filled with an overwhelming gratitude for our music, our fans, and each other. After all these wonderful years working together, we realized that now is the time to pursue our personal goals and solo efforts in earnest. No matter what happens, we will always love each other as friends and sisters and will always support each other as artists. We want to thank all of our fans for their incredible love and support and hope to see you all again as we continue fulfilling our destinies." The news will be confusing to fans - earlier today the group's record label issued a statement denying they would split. It read: "It is not true. But it could be some years before they release another album."

Pop superstar Madonna regrets letting her ego get the better of her during the 1980s and early 1990s - because she now wishes she hadn't been so raunchy. The Material Girl became famous for pushing the boundaries of what was sexually acceptable behavior in a mainstream pop star. But the 46-year-old, who now has two children and is married to film-maker Guy Ritchie, admits she was courting publicity for all the wrong reasons. She says, "Sometimes I was being overtly sexual for the sake of showing off when I didn't need to be. I think I hurt myself. Ultimately none of us wants to be judged, or approved of, or loved because of the way we look, or how sexy we are. One minute I was saying believe in yourself and the next minute I was saying just be sexually provocative for the sake of being sexually provocative. I was letting it pump my ego, thinking aren't I great, they're writing about me, my picture's on the cover of every magazine, I'm so fabulous."

Marlon Brando's closest friends are convinced the movie icon would be alive today if he'd had the proper medical care a year ago. Brando died in July 2004 of pulmonary fibrosis, but pals feel sure that had his condition been detected early enough it could have been treated. Longtime friend Philip Rhodes has spoken out in a new Playboy expose about the final months of The Godfather star's life, claiming that Brando's dislike of doctors and trust of his maids could have sent him to an early grave. In the article, Rhodes recalls he became concerned about the actor when he heard Brando's alleged mistress and maid Angela Borlaza and her sister Vie had started giving Brando painkilling injections. Rhodes was so worried he called the movie great's sister Jocelyn. He says, "I told her I was afraid something had been done to Marlon. She said, 'Oh no, I've been talking a lot to Angela, and her sister is an accredited nurse.' I wasn't happy with that. Marlon was a very, very tough guy, and it seemed as though he went too quickly. I'd known he was taking a painkiller that affected his liver, and about a week before he died they found a tremendous growth. Why hadn't that been found earlier? If they had operated, maybe he'd be alive today."

Armageddon star Owen Wilson still regrets not taking his romance with Sheryl Crow more seriously, but he fears the fact they were both celebrities was ultimately what wrecked their relationship. His romance with the rocker remains one of Wilson's longest and he often wishes he had worked harder at it. He tells men's magazine Playboy, "Going out with someone who's doing the same thing as you, who's in the public eye, can be a problem... You want a break when you come home. You don't want someone with the same issues as you maybe reminding you of stuff you don't like in yourself. That being said, I don't think being in the spotlight had anything to do with me and Sheryl not working out. The story of our relationship is the same story I've had with most of my relationships. I was lucky enough to find a great girl, and because of my lack of... focus, the relationship went south."

The stars of TV series Nip/Tuck have been paid massive bonuses before shooting for the third series gets underway. Julian McMahon, who has expressed his interest in taking over from Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, and Dylan Walsh have both received bonuses believed to be worth $300,000 from TV network FX and their Warner Bros Television producers. Joely Richardson has also received an undisclosed lump sum of money. She will be joined in the upcoming series by fellow British actress Rhona Mitra who will play a tough-talking policewoman.

Clueless star Alicia Silverstone has left hordes of her male fans heartbroken after announcing that she and her musician boyfriend, Christopher Jarecki, are now man and wife. The couple, who have been together for eight years, exchanged nuptials barefoot on a Lake Tahoe, Nevada beach on Saturday in front of 135 guests. The ceremony marks the first wedding for both Jarecki and Silverstone.