JACKSON WATCH: Michael Jackson's defense team resting its case Wednesday in the popster's child-molestation trial, following testimony from the final witness, Chris Tucker.
RETURN TO FORM: Hours after testifying at Jackson's trial Tuesday, Jay Leno back to mocking the popster on the Tonight Show. Because he was a witness, Leno had been blocked from making jokes about the case.
COUNTRY IDOL CROWNED: Oklahoma native Carrie Underwood defeating rocker Bo Bice on Wednesday's two-hour American Idol finale. The 22-year-old fan favorite took the contest despite Idol judges swooning over Bice's Tuesday performance to snag the title and a record deal for her win.
REMEMBERED: Ismail Merchant, who with partner James Ivory created Merchant-Ivory Productions and made Oscar-winning films like Room with a View and Howard's End, died Wednesday in London. He was 68.
MOURNED: Thurl Ravenscroft, who voiced Tony the Tiger's "They're Grrrrreeeat!" for Kellogg's cereal ads and sang "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" in the original Dr. Seuss TV special, has died of prostate cancer at 91.
CHART ATTACK: System of a Down's fourth album, Mezmerize, debuting atop the Billboard charts with 453,000 copies sold in the United States and more than 800,000 copies sold around the world.
THE DARK SIDE: Federal authorities shutting down file-sharing network Elite Torrents, which had Star Wars: Episode III--Revenge of the Sith available for download before the film was shown in theaters.
REVENGE OF THE DAFT: Two British Star Wars fans critically injured when replicas of lightsabers they made by filling glass fluorescent light tubes with fuel exploded. The duo were reportedly planning to recreate a duel scene like those seen in Star Wars: Episode III--Revenge of the Sith.
KUDOS! Oprah Winfrey receiving the 2005 International Emmy Founders Award at a gala awards ceremony in November. Previous recipients include Bill Cosby and Jim Henson.
KENJEN GOES DOWN: Former Jeopardy! champ Ken Jennings losing out to onetime record store clerk Brad Rutter Wednesday on the game show's three-day tournament of champions.
BLOCKED ROCKERS: Mötley Crüe suing NBC for free-speech violations after the network banned the band following Vince Neil's use of a four-letter word on the Tonight Show on Dec. 31.
MORE TOM TROUBLE? A California judge ordering Tom Sizemore to appear at a June 2 court hearing to determine if he violated terms of his probation. The Saving Private Ryan actor was supposed to have enrolled in a drug rehab program as part of a recent guilty plea for felony drug possession.
MISSION: ATTRACTION: Paramount Pictures announcing that Michelle Monaghan has been cast in Mission: Impossible III as Tom Cruise's love interest.
HOT ON THE SET: A fire on Wednesday damaging a luxury bus Ashley Judd was using during the shooting of an independent film in Arkansas. No injuries were reported in the blaze.
ROCK SOLID: CBS' new reality series, Rock Star: INXS, searching for a new lead singer to front INXS, premiering July 11; Brooke Burke and Dave Narvarro serving as hosts.
SLAP HAPPY: Burt Reynolds slapping a TV producer in the face Tuesday at the premiere of his new movie, The Longest Yard. A rep said the slap was "playful."
BADA BING! The Sopranos mastermind David Chase telling the New Yorker that while he thinks HBO's hit mob drama has run its course creatively, he's still left the door open for a possible seventh season.
HE'S BACK, BITCH: Various residents of Yellow Springs, Ohio, reporting sightings of comedian Dave Chappelle. Chappelle, who lives in Yellow Springs and Manhattan, recently went to South Africa on a "spiritual retreat," forcing Comedy Central to halt production on the third season of his hit televsion show.