Michael Jackson's $1 Million Funeral: The Breakdown

So how much pop was in the King of Pop's funeral? The extravagant event's price tag is now public information

• Top 10 Celebrity Grave Sites
• 5 Media Myths Debunked by Michael Jackson's Death

Kathryn Stockett, Author of The Help

The best-selling author of 'The Help,' Kathryn Stockett, talks to TIME about the process of penning her debut novel

Kevin Clash: The Man Behind Elmo

As Sesame Street celebrates its 40th anniversary, TIME talks to puppeteer Kevin Clash — the performer behind Elmo, the world's best-loved furry red monster

• Sesame Street's 40-Year Cavalcade of Stars
• Top 10 Sesame Street Moments

A Christmas Carol Wins — and Loses — the Weekend

Jim Carrey's Scrooge leads the pack, but with a relatively miserly start. Meanwhile Precious opens big on just 18 screens

• Disney's A Christmas Carol: A Scrooge for This Season
• The Fourth Kind: Subnormal Activity
• Precious Review: Too Powerful for Tears

Hip Berlin: Europe's Capital of Cool

Artists, designers and writers are transforming the German capital — again

• Barack Obama Visits Berlin
• A Pictorial History of the Berlin Wall
• Fearless Fashion in the Former East Germany
• The Words (and Deeds) that Brought Down the Berlin Wall

Tuned In

Lou Dobbs Gets Off of CNN's Lawn

In an odd moment in a career that has not exactly lacked for said moments, crotchety CNN host Lou Dobbs abruptly announced on-air today that he is leaving the network where he has worked most of three decades.

Looking Around

A Talk With: Thom Mayne

I spoke recently with the Pritzker-Prize winning architect about his first building in New York. And a pretty smashing one it is.

Weekend Critic Picks

TIME critics break down the hottest movies, TV shows, books and albums