[Bond]

Michael Jackson Due in Court Today as Frenzy Grows

Michael Jackson was due in a California courtroom Monday -- his freedom, career and reputation on the line -- as jury selection begins in the pop star's child molestation trial.

Jackson, who said Sunday that he would be "acquitted and vindicated" at trial, was expected to sit with his lawyers at the defense table as the first of some 750 prospective jurors are summoned to the courtroom of Santa Barbara Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville.

The would-be jurors will report to Melville's courtroom, in the central California city of Santa Maria, in groups of 150 to determine if they can serve on a trial that could last six months. The judge will try to assemble a pool of possible jurors who will be given seven-page questionnaires about the case and told to return on Feb. 7.

The trial of Jackson, one of the world's best-known entertainers, on charges of molesting a young boy has drawn worldwide media attention. The start of jury selection was expected to create a huge frenzy outside the courthouse.

Police braced for the arrival of hundreds or even thousands of Jackson's fans, some of whom camped out overnight at the courthouse despite chilly weather and fences designed to keep them well away from the 46-year-old performer.

More than 1,000 journalists from Australia, Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico and the United States have registered to cover the trial. Sunday reporters waited in line for five hours to pick up credentials needed to get through tight security surrounding the courthouse property.

Source: Yahoo! News

I don't know about you, but I can't stand Michael Jackson.