... Hosts ...

So many out there, and most of them are resellers of resellers of resellers...

Avoid "Virtual" setups - they are not only limited in capability, many are poorly setup and tend to be a pain as far as support goes.
(Though they may be ideal for your first few sites as they are also ddamned cheap).

You can get "Shared" - they tend to be a bit more expensive, but you often get a full Cpanel option with it (I myself hate Plesk), so you have more control.

UH-hosting was my original set (now part of ecliple?) - fantastic support!
Fast-Hosts are also an alternative - not fantastic... but fairly priced.

Just find some, lookat the packages and prices... keep an eye out for things like SSH... you may not use it or need it - but it is a good sign that at least one person there knows there job