With holiday cheer in the air, TIME takes a closer look at some of the weird stories behind our favorite seasonal tunes
The Hobbit: Just a Middling Weekend for Middle Earth Prequel
Peter Jackson’s belated walkup to his ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy breaks a Dec. record but still lacks magic
Kids at Tragedies: Turn Off the Cameras
There is no good journalistic reason to put a child at a mass-murder scene on live TV, permission of the parents or not.
Star Trek Into Darkness: Is Benedict Cumberbatch Playing Khan?
The Sherlock star has revealed that he is the next Star Trek villain—but it’s not Khan
TV Weekend: Ask What Your Homeland Can Do for You
There’s a sense that, depending which choices Homeland makes, the season finale could redeem or disgrace itself utterly.What do you need Homeland to do?
Bruno Mars Is in ‘Heaven’ on Billboard Chart
The singer knocks Rihanna out of the top slot, upping his total to four Hot 100 leaders
10 Best Movies We Missed This Year
We admit it: we couldn’t review every film this year. Here are the ten we wish we had
Zero Dark Thirty‘s Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal on Strong Women and Strong Helicopters
The director and screenwriter—both nominated for Golden Globes—talk to TIME about teaming up for a cinematic take on current events
Golden Globe Nominations: Rite of Too Many Stars
‘Lincoln,’ ‘Argo’ and ‘Django Unchained’ lead the pack, while no-star masterpieces like ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’ get the shaft
Save the Date: Everyone Loves Lizzy Caplan (Including Us)
An amiable romantic comedy starring Lizzy Caplan and Martin Starr goes up against The Hobbit. We feel sorry for it
12 Unforgettable Photos from the Epic 12-12-12 Sandy Benefit Concert
It was a concert for the record books. Over six hours, some of rock’s biggest names performed some of the most iconic songs of all time. There were duets, fashion surprises, celebrity operators and, of course, lots of donations.
Best Comedic Performance By an Awards List: The Golden Globes TV Nominations!
The Globes’ TV nominations are like the awards ceremony itself: a fun time, but worth taking seriously only as the subject of a drinking game.
10 Questions for Ian McKellen, The Hobbit‘s Gandalf the Grey
“This is the Gandalf who likes to smoke and drink and party with the hobbits rather than the driven commander. It’s the fun Gandalf.”