What is a good web hosting company to use?

Other people have asked this, but I haven’t been happy with the answers. Any help would be very much appreciated on this. There is so much marketing junk out there I can’t tell the good companies from the bad. So I’m looking for suggestions.

I need to host a web site. Here is what I need:
1. Scalability. I want to start small and grow, so it will have to be a company with a wide range of "service plans."

2. Trust. I don’t want a company that offers free domain registration. I don’t trust it, and it seems like a scam to me. They register the domain, they own it. I already own my domain. I don’t trust a company that wants to own other’s domains. Likewise, I don’t trust a company that puts emphasis on things like the number of e-mail addresses they offer. "Now with 5000 e-mail addresses!" looks like a distraction to me.

3. Reliable and affordable almost go without saying. But I’d be willing to pay a little more for better service.

4. Freedom to advertise. I noticed some hosting companies have restrictions on what kind of advertising you can have on a site. I want to be able to put whatever kind of advertising I want on my own site.

5. PHP

Thanks for your help guys.
Thanks Bonnie, but I’m not looking for a free site.

JT, I’ll check them out and see what other’s say as well. The immediate red flag for me with netfirms is the "free domain registration."
Sites like godaddy are exactly what I’m not looking for. The scandals they’ve had recently, combined with the way they do business… that’s exactly what I’m trying to avoid.