Because the truth is that I had stayed up all night powering through the entire first season of Downton Abbey on Masterpiece Theater.

I quickly learned that I was not alone, that my passion for voyeuristic period drama is not exclusive, that other young people are eager to discover the fate of Lady Mary and Matthew Crawley in season two.

And at that moment, some inner, self-consciously erudite part of my teenage soul was laid to rest. One Halloween, I dressed up as Hamlet’s Ophelia and tried to make it cool by moshing really hard, but I don’t think it worked. But the writer of Downton Abbey, Julian Fellowes, seems to have spurred a movement. Why now do I have friends asking me if I have seen the three-part dramatization of George Eliot’s Daniel Deronda? Forget Clueless. Have you seen Emma? With the economy at a low point, the class system in America seems more rigid than ever. Perhaps human stories based on historical events and literature have added meaning for anyone struggling to make change with an ounce of moral fiber.

These deeply stirring, slow paced dramas have surfaced as an untapped resource for those of us who enjoy pretty costumes and well-scripted love stories. So, take the high road. Here are some recommendations for the Victorian crowd from the Hulu library to set the mood.

Step one: Downton Abbey is now on Hulu. It’s the bellwether. Downton’s a drama centering on an expansive estate that runs like clockwork. The household hierarchy is fascinatingly archaic. Yet, as the story unfolds, we learn about this microcosm from a modern perspective. Everyone from the scullery maid to the Dowager Countess knows the constrictions of their societal roles. But to us as viewers, the maid is just as important as a member of the noble family. The opening scene takes you through the house, introducing the characters as they discover the shocking news of the sinking of the Titanic.

If you are a Downton Abbey fan and simply want more, take a chance on a mini-series with an even more British sounding title, The Chamomile Lawn, based on a novel by Mary Wesley. Set in August 1939, five young cousins gather on the chamomile lawn of their aunt’s Cornish home. The family faces imposing changes with the approach of World War II, and the drama follows their intersecting lives over a period of forty years. Look past the tepid title if you can, because this one gets steamy!

The 1996 film version of Jane Eyre, starring Charlotte Gainsbourg and William Hurt, is much more introspective than the recent Gothic version starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender. Based on the 1847 novel by Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre emerges from a painful childhood to take a position as governess at Thornfield Hall. With this small degree of freedom she encounters clues concerning her own past and that of her employer, Edward Rochester. Don’t judge their inevitably building flirtation, because it’s almost supposed to be agonizing to watch it develop. Ms. Eyre tells her pupil in a drawing lesson, “Remember, the shadows are just as important as the light.”

So, while The Diary of Anne Frank is far from what anyone could call an uplifting true story, this British mini-series is the best available rendition on film or television. The set was designed to be an exact replica of the real Secret Annex in Amsterdam, where the Frank family, Hermann and Auguste van Pels, their son Peter, and Fritz Pfeffer went into hiding during World War II. In spite of the dark nature of passing events, young Anne upholds an intelligent, bright, and relatable voice in her writing as she describes the intimate details of their existence.

From Hulu’s Criterion collection, “Nora” mirrors the odd relationship between novelist James Joyce and the salty Nora Barnacle from Galway. Giving up her position as a maid, Nora leaves her home and follows Joyce to Italy. She does not understand and often criticizes his efforts at writing. Over time, the two build a mutually supportive bond, which incorporates neurotic behavior, alcoholism, family, and work. The viewer can sense echoes of Joyce’s novels and short stories in the film. Also, Ewan McGregor sings an Irish chanty, more than once.

Volkswagen: The Bark Side Teaser

Honda: Matthew’s Day Off – Extended

Volkswagen: The Dog Strikes Back

1) It’s really hard to dress for a Super Bowl party when both teams have the same colors. And,

2) I learned what it’s like to be a girl watching her boyfriend get beaten up, as I watched Tom Brady get repeatedly sacked in the final minutes.

At least the ads gave me some chuckles. So I’m here to recount those chuckles now to you.

Best of the Best

Everyone has their favorites. I’m no exception. This year I was pleasantly surprised to find myself guffawing in a very unattractive manner at the Doritos “Sling Baby” ad. The combination of mean kid getting his comeuppance, mild baby abuse, and old lady vengeance just works for me. Doritos’ Crash the Super Bowl contest has evolved from amateur night to some of the most impressive and memorable ads of the game.

My other favorite this year is Skechers’ Mr. Quiggly. I want Mr. Quiggly to go jogging with me every day, and I long for that British announcer to narrate the entire jog in play-by-play fashion, preferably saying “Mr. Quiggly” many, many times. This would make my mornings spectacular. If there’s any way someone out there can arrange that, I’d appreciate it.

Movie Trailers for Bad Movies

I’m not saying these movies will be bad. I’m just saying they almost certainly will be.

Every year during the Super Bowl, we get treated to movie trailers for the year’s biggest flops. Sahara, anyone? This year I’m calling out Battleship (because that’s easy and I don’t like to be wrong), and I’m gonna go ahead and throw that GI Joe movie out there, as well. The commercials for these movies were seen by 90 million people, but it’s a guarantee I won’t know a single person who goes to see the actual films.

Bud Light Switches It Up.

I have never been a fan of Bud Light’s cartoonish, kindergarten-colored ads featuring youngsters drinking beer in someone’s backyard. This year I was both flattered and taken aback when Bud Light began advertising directly to me. In “Work,” soft blue lighting and the sophisticated beats of Avicii set the background for a well-dressed group of young professionals gathering in a modern steel and glass building, drinking Bud Light Platinum. It provides wild contrast from last year’s “Drinkablility” campaign, which basically asked me to funnel Bud Light because it’s “easy to drink.” Since I’m terrible, I plan to continue drinking snooty microbrews no one has heard of. But well played, Bud. Well played.

Some Bizareness

You’d have to ask me a whole lot of times before I would be able to come up with a good reason why the NFL should have to air a commercial for itself during the Super Bowl. That being said, however, “Timeline” wasn’t all that bad.

Cars.com has always had very strange ads, and I’ve disliked them year after year. But this year, I’m finally on board. In “Confident You,” the guy with the confident, bobbing singing second head makes me smile every time I re-watch it.

Celebrity Appearances, the Pointless and the Sublime

Sometimes a celebrity is the focal point of a Super Bowl ad—that pretty person who moves the story along, entertaining you while extolling the virtues of the product you suddenly feel the urge to buy. Acura’s Seinfeld-heavy NSX commercial and Matthew Broderick’s Honda CRV spot are examples of the celebrity appearance done properly. The best celebrity appearance this year was Mean Joe Greene in Downy’s Unstoppables commercial, reprising his role from the classic Coke Ad.

There are times, too, when the celebrity is the product, like the David Beckham underwear ad, or John Stamos’ iffy yogurt ad. (He’s John Stamos, and he’s Greek, which I suppose is the point. But what is the point exactly? I choose the meaning to be, If You Eat This Yogurt, John Stamos Appears In Your Kitchen And You Get To Punch Him.)

Then there’s the true emerging trend of 2012: Celebrities appearing in weird places for five seconds. Last year Audi gave us a chuckle with about eight seconds of Kenny G. This year, many more hopped on the “commercial cameo” bandwagon. Regis Philbin shows up for 2.5 unmemorable seconds in this Pepsi Max ad.  In “King’s Court”, Pepsi also tossed in three seconds of Flavor Flav. Motley Crue made an instantly forgettable appearance in Kia’s “Dream” commercial. (Mötley Crüe had an excuse at least, as they appeared next to Adriana Lima in a bikini.) Even poor little Mr. Quiggly scampered onto the bandwagon, throwing in 1.5 seconds of Mark Cuban for absolutely no reason whatsoever.

Samsung definitely pulled off a head scratcher with their celebrity appearance, tossing in English band The Darkness, performing their one hit single that is now a decade old. Bizarre, but certainly memorable.

For Pepsi, Elton John reprised the role he has always had in my nightmares, as Evil Hipster King with Plastic Sunglasses.

Finally, of course, there was Betty White. I’ve never considered network promos to be real Super Bowl ads. (They’re normally just regular promos and I’m used to ignoring them.) But NBC scored with their promo for The Voice by bringing Betty back. Betty’s Snickers ad was the talk of the 2010 Super Bowl, and she was sorely missed last year. Kudos to NBC for turning a bland TV promo into a real opportunity for buzz.

This week, we added approximately two hundred PBS episodes to Hulu Plus, including dozens of episodes from Ken Burns library, the first season of Masterpiece: Downton Abbey and episodes of PBS Kids series including Arthur, Dinosaur Train and Wild Kratts. We will also add hundreds more episodes over the coming weeks, including more kids’ favorites like Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and Super Why, as well as additional episodes of NOVA, Masterpiece and American Experience – top-quality PBS series that Hulu users have already come to enjoy.

What people say they love most about PBS content is that it opens up new worlds and ideas. They take viewers on journeys to exciting places and introduce them to amazing characters. With PBS, you can ponder the nature of the universe with NOVA, revisit the greatest chapters of our nation’s history on American Experience or follow the most in-depth investigative journalism on television with Frontline and more.

Children and their parents can take a trip through time and natural science on the Dinosaur Train, join the Kratt brothers on their animal-powered adventures on Wild Kratts or help a young aardvark and his friends overcome the everyday calamities of being a kid on Arthur.

We hope you enjoy the new PBS content on Hulu Plus as much as we enjoy bringing it to you.

You know he fought Muhammad Ali three times. You know he died a couple of months ago, sometime in November of last year. You know he was a great fighter, and you almost forgot about it until he died, when everybody decided to remember him again.

But Joe Frazier was a lot more than that. Michael Todd knew firsthand.

Todd went out to make a film about inner-city boxing gyms in Philadelphia, but wound up running into Joe Frazier, one of the greatest fighters in the world who was losing grip on funding his gym because, for no real reason, Frazier had been largely forgotten about.

So Todd shifted the focus. He made it an expansive Joe Frazier biography. The gym, by the way, was more of a community center than a place for young people to hit one another. It was to keep kids off the streets—to keep kids from shooting each other in a place where it happened more on average than almost any other place in the country—and it was about to shut down because Frazier couldn’t afford to keep it open anymore.

Thing is, anybody who has ever met him sings Joe’s praises. George Foreman, Bernard Hopkins, even Ali’s old trainer Angelo Dundee. They gave Todd almost unrestricted access and candor and time.

What came out of it was “Joe Frazier: When The Smoke Clears,” the way Frazier should be remembered. Frazier himself gave the thumbs up to the film when he had his individual screening with a few hundred friends a few months ago.

Then Todd premiered it at the DocNYC festival on November 7, 2011. Frazier died the same day.

So the best, most complete work about Frazier’s life is out now. Yep, Frazier saw it. It’s too bad he won’t be able to see the positive reception something this expansive and good will be given.

Regardless, we’ve decided to make it our Documentary of the Month for February, Black History Month, because we can’t think of many better ways to live a life than the way Joe Frazier did.

We talked to Todd about his film the other day and about how he’d like to get people see Frazier’s life as a whole work. He hopes it opens some eyes to the work Frazier did in his hometown before his death—work he had to do without the world knowing.

On Frazier receiving a wave of recognition after his death and if that was expected:

Michael Todd: We didn’t expect, obviously, for him to pass away like he did. But our film was about how his life had been lived outside of the mainstream. Once he was caught up in this intense moment in history—not just sport—that kind of transcended the sport. But the life he left was kind of revealing about the life he lived, where he’d come from, and all the rest of it.

Yet despite him having one of the few names with true global recognition—those fights with Ali were so epic and were seen all over the world—there he was in this gym in Philadelphia carrying on this sort of work in this area where, in the time that we were filming, had one of the highest crime rates in the United States.

It’s slightly sad that he was not given the recognition he was deserved, not just in the sport but in the role his gym had played in the community, as well.

About how the film evolved into a Frazier biography from something very different.

It was over four years ago that we had went to Philadelphia. We had come at it from a simple standpoint, of doing a film about an inner-city gym. It was a fairly basic idea, but we thought, “What a better place to do it than Joe Frazier’s gym?” It was such an iconic name. It seemed like such a natural way into it. But only then, when we started to get to know Joe and we started filming, did we explore more how his life story related to the work he was doing.

On Todd’s unfettered access to Frazier, his family, and the boxing community.

I think people had come to Joe in the past with a preconceived story which they then sought a need for him to deliver. Ours was a lot more of an open-ended process. Because we were making an independent film, we weren’t driven by a particular deadline. The more access Joe gave us, the more time we wanted to spend with him and got into his life.

Because of his background, he was actually a very resilient character. He was happy, I would say. I think he was proud of what he’d done and what he was doing. I do think he was less than pleased about how he was treated, but he was not a bitter man.

Bill Rhoden, from the New York Times, came to our premiere in New York. He got the essence of what we were trying to do, which was to look at Joe’s life as the account of a human being and what it was to live through everything he lived through. But as a man, and not trying to fit it into a specific context of something else.

On this film and vindication of Frazier’s character.

What we did expect to happen was this would be very positive film, a very positive look at Joe. But what we didn’t expect to happen was the closing of the gym. And that certainly makes it feel like the end of the film—the end of the story—in a way. You start to see (Joe’s son) Marvis’ kind of desperate desire to see the gym continue as sort of a legacy for his father, in a way.

About how inner-city boxing rings help regulate violence, and how that was part of Frazier’s plan:

We talk to a guy in the film from Yale who did a long study about ending the problems on the streets. He talked to us at length. It’s not just the gym, but it’s a great example. Because there are so many problems out there in the community, the gym represents a safe haven in that there’s a decency and an honor code. So while you’re in that space, you can make positive efforts to focus your life.

About the boxers, like George Foreman and Bernard Hopkins, willing to open up at length about Frazier:

Every single person we talked to felt that this way we were approaching it had not been done, and it was something people had responded to. I remember talking to Angelo Dundee, Ali’s trainer, about what we were doing, and he said, “Now, that’s a story.”

Our goal was to take Joe out of being constantly defined by this rivalry and these moments in his life. These were incredibly important and significant, so that’s the other side to define what he achieved. But he was 68 when he died. He did a lot more than that before he died.

We were lucky enough to be able to get Joe to see the film before he died. We did a preview screening in New York and about 400 or 500 people came. And Joe said that it was the only film on him that gave a true sense of who he was.

The ad, directed by filmmaker Ridley Scott, who had just finished “Blade Runner,” cost nearly $1 million to make, a huge sum for the fledgling computer company. The concept was brainchild of legendary ad man and TBWA/MediaArts chairman Lee Clow, who remembers Apple co-founder Steve Jobs didn’t get involved in the story or the casting. Rather, he just said, “go make it great.”

But “1984” almost didn’t make it on TV at all. In an interview with Advertising Age, Mr. Clow explains why and also why you may never see an ad like it again.

In addition, we’ve interviewed Bryan Buckley, one of the most prolific and clever Super Bowl commercial directors of all time with 42 spots to his name since 1999. Mr. Buckley is responsible for dozens of modern classics that make you laugh with brands like FedEx, Bud Light, Pepsi and many others.

Both interviews are part of a series created for Hulu, “The Art of the Super Bowl Ad,” with the stories behind some of the best Super Bowl ads in history. We hope you enjoy them as you get ready to watch the big game—and the ads in between.

In “Revenge of the Electric Car” — available for free exclusively on Hulu for one week — director Chris Paine knew he had to position things a little differently than his 2006 documentary “Who Killed the Electric Car?” which centered on the demise of GM’s EV1. “It’s always a trick to how you structure a documentary as a film,” Paine said by phone this week. “The first movie was set up as a murder mystery. This time, I saw it as a race. I kept the camera moving all the time. I didn’t want things to feel like a ‘Dateline’ special.”

While “Revenge” centers on the latest generation of electric-powered autos, Paine said he wanted the film to show what it takes to move things forward inside the system. “It’s really about how you can get things done from the inside,” he added. To build momentum, the director centered on the powerful personalities behind three electric car manufacturers — Bob Lutz (GM), Elon Musk (Tesla), and Carlos Ghosn (Nissan) — and the race to be first to market.

Below, we asked Paine for his take on the return of electric cars and what car he’s driving these days.

Your first movie, “Who Killed the Electric Car,” chronicled the demise of the beloved EV1 from GM. In “Revenge of the Electric Car,” electric-powered vehicles are back. What do you think contributed to their return?

The biggest factor was gas prices. They were up to $4 a gallon, and car manufacturers saw that gas prices could go up as high as $5 or $6 a gallon. They realized that they don’t have anything to sell consumers when the prices are that high.

Meanwhile, there was also pressure from the right wing. They were pushing electricity that we can produce in the U.S. Environmentalists, of course, were concerned about global warming, and legislators were passing regulations about emissions and gas consumption.

You started working on this film before 2008 and the collapse of the economy — and GM. With the Volt and Tesla still in development at that time, did you fear these products were going to be shelved?

Halfway through filming, GM went bankrupt, funding dried up for Tesla, and my friend Gadget’s electric car conversion garage burned down. It wasn’t looking so good. What I ended up documenting was that the best leaders can keep going when everything else collapses around them. They kept fighting for what the wanted to happen. Each case is individual.

For Tesla, [co-founder] Elon Musk spent every last dime he had to make payroll and keep the company going because he believed in the product. GM felt they had nowhere else to turn. The Chevy Volt represented the future for them. Things weren’t as dire at Nissan, but Carlos Ghosn saw the electric vehicle a their chance to be the first to market. Their attitude was “move now or fail.”

With this documentary, you had approved access to meetings and factories that were “enemy territory” in “Who Killed the Electric Car?” What changed this time?

We approached 12 different people. We faced several challenges. You can imagine they were nervous about trade secrets. Then there was GM’s bankruptcy. And two of the companies ended up going public, so everything was kept in secrecy so we didn’t destroy an IPO. Nissan had our editing room locked down for almost three years as they got the Leaf into production. It’s remarkable we got as much access as we had. I knew Elon personally, but when I approached GM, they said, “You? No.” But they came around.

So what car do you drive, Chris?

I have the Tesla Roadster from the first movie. My girlfriend drives a Leaf, and I use the Volt as my car. It gets 40 miles on electric, which works for getting around Los Angeles.

I wanted to put my money where my mouth is. These cars are worth a lot more than they’re charging for them — the electricity costs just $1 for the equivalent of a gallon.

What do you think about each of the cars, since you have them all?

Well, the Tesla has this sex factor. It looks like $1 million, and it goes superfast. It’s fun for showing skeptics that an electric car can be fast.

The Volt is great for my daily drive around L.A. Ninety percent of the time, it has no gas in it. If we want to go on a trip, it turns to a 38 miles-per-gallon car.

The Leaf is a super-practical urban car. My girlfriend loves it. You’re high up, and it’s easy to drive.

If you were a fashion designer, chances are you are living in New York City with a million other designers vying to get noticed. So what would you do if the chance of a lifetime were suddenly handed to you? If you were asked to explain who you are as a designer in five words or less? If the editor-in-chief of the most iconic fashion magazine in the world were to judge your aesthetic and every detail that defines who you are in a matter of 15 minutes? You would jump at the chance.

Every year, 10 American fashion designers are selected by the Council of Fashion Designers of America for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, to compete in a fierce but prestigious competition that gives one talented designer $300,000 to kick-start his or her business and a mentorship with a fashion industry leader.

And now you don’t have to imagine what the inner workings of the four-month competition process are like. The six-part series “The Fashion Fund” is now exclusively on Hulu and Hulu Plus beginning today, with new episodes airing every Thursday. For the first time ever, you can get a behind-the-scenes look at the fashion world.

The lucky winner will follow in the footsteps of other Fashion Fund winners who subsequently became fashion luminaries –  including Rodarte (15-year-old fashion blogger Tavi Gevinson is their muse), Proenza Schouler, and Alexander Wang.

The panel of judges – fashion elite: Anna Wintour of Vogue, Diane Von Furstenberg, and J. Crew’s creative director Jenna Lyons.

“It validates you,” stated Von Furstenberg, CFDA’s president. ”It makes you part of the New York dialogue,” said 2007 finalist Scott Sternberg of the brand Band of Outsiders.

The Fashion Fund award is an achievement that offers success, influence, and something that can simply change lives. Check out the runway style explosion, the rush of New York City, and the wobbly-kneed and butterfly-tummied excitement of The Fashion Fund right here on Hulu.

The 10 finalists of 2011 were eclectic, ardent, and tenacious. Here’s a rundown of the designers:

Suno
Designers: Max Osterweis and Erin Beatty
Behind the Brand: Suno’s first collection was made of vintage textiles from East Africa that Osterweis collected over a 13-year period. Suno’s aesthetic is to make high-end clothing in an ethical way.

Pamela Love
Designer: Pamela Love
Behind the Brand: Morrocan-inspired jewelry. Love’s former projects include a “True Blood”-inspired line for HBO.

Fenton/Fallon
Designer: Dana Lorenz
Behind the Brand: Inspired by hard-edges, romance, and history. Also by the “old ladies wearing dusty Chanel jackets and dusty pearls” of NYC.

A.A.
Designer: Antonio Azzuolo
Behind the Brand: Became a menswear designer because he was “tired of clothes that didn’t fit.”

Carlos Campos
Designer: Carlos Campos
Behind the Brand: Worked as a tailor at 16.

Altuzarra
Designer: Joseph Altuzarra
Behind the Brand: Former finalist who reapplied; Battled tonsillitis during this year’s competition.

Creatures of the Wind
Designer: Shane Gabier and Christopher Peters
Behind the Brand: They’re a couple. Anna Wintour described them as “adorable.”

Cushnie et Ochs
Designers: Carly Cushnie and Michelle Ochs
Behind the Brand: These young designers formed their company right after graduating from Parsons in ’08.

Finn
Designer: Soraya Silchenstedt
Behind the Brand: Designs earrings for celebrity clientele, including Naomi Watts.

Ohne Titel
Designers: Alexa Adams and Flora Gil
Behind the Brand: These former finalists pair architectural shapes with soft drapery.

More than a game, the Super Bowl is a cultural event, a truly American spectacle, and the ads are very much a part of the experience. Mix a big stage with big ambitions and budgets, and what you get are some memorable ads, as well some memorable misfires — not unlike the game itself. The best will make you laugh, think, or even feel something, whether it’s the warmth of Volkswagen’s “The Force” spot from 2011 or the emotion rendered in text by Google’s “Parisian Love” in 2010.

As you read this, directors of this year’s ads are putting the finishing touches on their work, some tinkering until the very last minute. Some ads will be veiled in secrecy until the second they appear on air; others will be released on the web early to generate buzz before the game. All will represent the brand’s best effort to connect with the public and to tell a story in 15, 30 or 60 seconds.

For advertisers, the stakes are high; this is their “Super Bowl,” too. With more than 110 million viewers in the U.S. alone, its the biggest TV audience of the year and they pay dearly for the privilege to reach them: $3.5 million for 30 precious seconds of air time.

While the hilarious gag is a mainstay of Super Bowl creative, last year we saw the pendulum start to swing back to ads that tell a story. This isn’t exactly a new trend: the two best Super Bowl ads of all time, Apple’s “1984” and Coke’s 1980 “Mean Joe Green” conveyed a narrative, which made them memorable. Last year, Chrysler took it further, airing a 2-minute mini-movie “Imported from Detroit,” which reintroduced the brand, and Detroit, to an audience that hadn’t thought much about either in a while. This year, expect more of the same. “You’re going to see the art form of storytelling take on a greater role in the Super Bowl,” NBC Sports advertising sales chief Seth Winter told Ad Age.

Here at Ad Age, we appreciate the art and science of advertising, whether it’s Clydesdale’s playing football or a bunch of guys who just had to say, “wassup.”  To get you ready for the Big Game, we dug through the archives of Super Bowls past and partnered with Hulu to bring you the best ads of all time. We’ll be adding “Behind The Work” videos in the coming days that tell the story behind some of the greatest of the past 50 years.

Did we miss any of your favorites? Let us know in comments. And if you’d like to read more about the business behind the Super Bowl, you can visit us at AdAge.com.

In the meantime, we’ve pulled together some of our favorite ads since Hulu’s first Super Bowl game and sorted them into themes for easy viewing. Here they are:

The Great (Editor’s Picks)
Among the flash-bang-whizz of Super Bowl ads, there are always a select few ads that rise above the noise with elegance, simplicity, clarity and humor. And yes, I’m plugging Hulu’s very own offering from 2009, or last year’s Skechers ad starring Kim Kardashian. I may have tagged it as a “miss” at the time, but a year later, I can still recall every second of Kim Kardashian. Looks like she was quite effective after all.

Big Laughs
Suprising, shocking, crass and clever — these are the LOLs of the Super Bowl.

Over the Top
Super Bowl commercials often dazzle, delight and entertain, but sometimes they just make you wonder if someone laced your Heineken with PCP. From SoBe’s incredibly cluttered lizard ads to GoDaddy’s constant attempts to trick you into thinking you’re about to see some skin, these ads leave us scratching our heads no matter how many times we watch them.

Babies and Animals
After years of practice, advertisers have learned the way to our collective hearts: babies and animals. Man’s best friend has been used to sell everything from cars to Gatorade, and we say “awwww” every time. While I’m no fan of E*Trade’s talking baby (if we really loved babies who speak in adult voices, we’d flock to the theaters to see “Look Who’s Talking 12,” and “Baby Bob” would still be on the air), you can’t deny that viewers have come to look forward to the snide little whipper-snapper who trades stocks like an ace.

Made by Fans
Since Doritos introduced their Crash the Super Bowl contest, ads made by fans have consistently made viewers’ favorite lists. In recent years, Pepsi has jumped in on the act, as well. The popularity of these fan-produced ads proves you don’t need to spend millions to create an effective ad.

Enjoy the AdZone on Hulu beginning today, share your favorite ads with your friends, and get ready to vote in real time for your favorite ads of Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday, February 5 (official kickoff time: 6:25 p.m. EST).

We can’t wait to see what these silver-haired scamps will get up to next. In the meantime, we’ve put together just a few of Betty’s best moments in honor of her birthday, and her absolute refusal to get any less entertaining.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1973 – 1977)

Betty got a big break on The Mary Tyler Moore Show playing her most villainous role – snide and scheming Sue Ann Nivens, who was sweet on the outside and mean to the core.

Golden Girls (1985 – 1992)

Betty is best known for her role as loveable, ditzy Rose, a drastic departure from Sue Ann, and one that would set the tone for the rest of her career.

The Proposal (2009)

Despite Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds’ combined star power, Betty’s hilarious one-liners as randy Grandma Annie were what made this romcom memorable.

Snickers Super Bowl Ad (2010)

Betty stole the show at the 2010 Super Bowl by popping up in a Snickers commercial with fellow octogenarian Abe Vigoda.

Community (2010)

Betty guest-starred as a kooky anthropology professor with a penchant for blowguns, rapping, and her own urine.

Saturday Night Live (2010)

In May 2010, Betty became the oldest person to ever host SNL after a grassroots Facebook campaign convinced the producers to invite her on. She adeptly walked the line between vulgar and adorable, making her one of the most popular hosts of the year, and cementing her status as a national treasure.

Hot In Cleveland (2010 – 2012)

Betty was only supposed to have a guest spot in the pilot episode of TV Land’s surprise hit Hot In Cleveland, but she charmed her way into a lead role as snarky Elka, a caretaker whose shenanigans keep her tenants on their toes.

Yes, we consider this a public service.—Ed.

Best Television Series – Drama

American Horror Story

Boardwalk Empire

Boss

Game of Thrones

Homeland

Who Should Win: Game of Thrones. To put it simply, it’s a well-done retelling of a story many had already heard. Plus, it has an unwieldy fan base, copious critical acclaim, and features a gratuitous, borderline offensive orgy in such a classy way that you won’t feel dirty about it. That should be enough reason alone.

The Snobby, Sophisticated Selection: Homeland. Showtime’s political-intrigue drama is a critics’ darling. It’s also fresh blood, which the HFPA favors, and under the radar enough to be considered a shocking choice. It’ll also give the HFPA the cred it desperately covets, because the Globes isn’t just some celebrity roast/booze-fest, people.

(Yes, it is.)

Ballsiest. Biggest Scrotum. Largest Man Area. You Get the Drift Award: Boardwalk Empire had an uneven season but managed to shock everyone and everyone’s mother by killing off one of their most loved characters, baby gangster Jimmy Darmody.—Sheila Dichoso

Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy

Nominees: Enlightened

Episodes

Glee

Modern Family

New Girl

Who Should Win: ”Episodes.” In many ways this show probably reflects the experience of your average Hollywood Foreign Press member who was raised with certain perceptions about Hollywood only to find a city full of sociopaths who want to get rich overnight—exploiting the victims who arrive here daily in search of fame, fortune and the love Daddy never gave them. It’s no surprise that TV shows about showbiz rarely work Stateside; most of us don’t want to know the “how” behind what we’re watching, we just want to laugh at the talking box. (Before you say it, “Entourage” doesn’t count. That was more bromantic comedy than an example of the Hollywood sausage production line.).

But Episodes ventured underneath the shiny La La Land veneer and it’s no wonder the HFPA noticed: It took two earnest BBC comedy writers from London and thrust them in the middle of the labyrinth known as the studio system in LA with Joey Tribbiani as their only guide. As Beverly and Sean Lincoln, accomplished Britcom veterans Tamsin Greig and Stephen Mangan were delightfully awkward as they were forced to systematically compromise their values, ethics and even marital vows all for the possibility that their Hollywood dream come true. And as a Machiavellian version of himself (we hope), Matt Le Blanc showed us that his range (among other things) extended far beyond the limits of sandwiches and how you doin’, and that we liked our Le Blanc a little le noir.

In a year when the other choices provided more of the same (good quality, mind you…just good same), Episodes felt like watching a Faustian deal deliciously unravel before our eyes. With the cliffhanger that their pilot got picked up, the HFPA and we have to wait to watch what happens when the American Dream comes true, even to a couple of foreigners, but we’re probably going to be watching through our fingers.

The Snobby, Sophisticated Selection: With powerhouse performances by a dynamic ensemble led by the incomparable Laura Dern under the direction of such visionary yet quirky auteurs as Miguel Arteta and Mike White, Enlightened is a cable diamond amongst the coal that currently sullies broadcast comedies. With the show’s hilarious contemplation on the struggles of finding fulfillment and purpose in a corporate-run world draped in a Disney aesthetic, the HFPA would find themselves the joke should they choose to ignore this future television classic…or maybe they wouldn’t. I don’t know. Even though I adore all involved, I seriously only learned of this show yesterday and I watch television for a living, so #teamjoey all the way.

Who Should Win Because They Have the Same Arguments We’re Having With Our Family: Modern Family. Sweet Baby Cheeses. One of the reasons this show is so funny is because half the show is the stupid stuff over which you get in the most useless fights with your loved ones. Competing trophy heights, whether or not to help your kids with their science project, your husband complaining that his lifetime supply of razors has run out. It’s sometimes a struggle to remember that we still love these people with whom we share a home. We’d list more examples, but it’s time to go home and find the secret cameras the show’s writers have obviously installed to record our fights for future plotlines.–Martin Moakler

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama

Claire Danes (Homeland)

Mirelle Enos (The Killing)

Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife)

Madeline Stowe (Revenge)

Callie Thorne (Necessary Roughness)

Who Should Win: Madeline Stowe, Revenge

All of my friends hate me right now, but I swear it’s not my fault.  It’s not my fault they didn’t listen to me from the get-go and started watching Revenge late in the season. It’s not my fault they just discovered how completely smart, wicked and fun Revenge can be.  And it’s certainly not my fault that they were hooked to the point of sleepless nights, lost weekends, and the occasional missed day of work.

No it’s not my fault—it’s Madeline Stowe’s. Her work on Revenge is a master class in icy stares and cutting, nuanced delivery. The show may have hooked us with Emily Thorne’s elaborate takedowns of her enemies, but the heart of the show, as broken as it may be, is Madeline Stowe’s Victoria Grayson. Stowe could have easily played her as the irredeemable villainess that she is, but as much as I’m not supposed to empathize with Victoria, it’s hard not to when such sadness permeates every crooked smile she flashes on screen. Just watch the scene below and tell me this isn’t one of the best performances on television.

The Snobby, Sophisticated Selection: Claire Danes, Homeland

Claire Danes has already proven to the world that she’s not Angela Chase.  We don’t need to keep rewarding her for it.

Who Would Win if We Lived in a Parallel Universe Where Steve Carell Hosted the Golden Globes Instead of Ricky Gervais: Anna Torv, Fringe

Does the Hollywood Foreign Press not want to hang out with the cast of Fringe?  As much as I love Madeline Stowe, if I had my way Anna Torv would be going home with this award.  She’s now played 5 different versions of the same character! (Olivia, Fauxlivia, Fauxlivia pretending to be Olivia, New Olivia, and New Fauxlivia by my count.)  And each one is clearly Olivia, but with different shadings that make them unique, fully realized human beings.  Does she have to play a sixth Olivia to finally get some recognition?

Best Actor in a TV Series – Comedy or Musical

Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)

David Duchovny (Californication)

Johnny Galecki (The Big Bang Theory)

Thomas Jane (Hung)

Matt LeBlanc (Episodes)

Who Should Win: Alec Baldwin.

A lot of people are talking about Tim Tebow right now, saying his ability to overcome his slightly lady-like throwing motion to win games at the last second is the most miraculous fit of perseverance seen by an inherently limited person in years. They’re saying it’s the entertainment equivalent of Judy Dench showing up on Work It! to tell racist jokes about transgendered people in order to save the show.

But they’re wrong. Nobody in this world is doing more with less than Alec Baldwin. Here’s proof.

Check out this clip from Conan, where he readily admits that Tracy Morgan doesn’t even read his lines before he says them on camera. Alec Baldwin is in scenes with this guy all the time. And he is masterful.

Look, we know he got thrown off a plane for using his cell phone and being sort of terrible. But his performance is borderline Herculean and he doesn’t want anybody to know it. The least we can do is give Alec Baldwin a tiny, shiny globe.

The Snobby, Sophisticated Selection: Matt Leblanc, probably. Martin has said some glowing things about this show already, so I don’t want to step all over it. Truth is, this show is so very inside baseball. I don’t even really like inside baseball shows about baseball. It’s still a little devastating to know that Ted Williams may have been ornery and awful that whole time. I don’t want to experience that with TV comedy unless it’s an other-worldly experience that teaches me things about myself, like “The Office” or “Extras.”

But Hollywood? I know Hollywood is terrible. I would like it to be presented less terribly, if given the opportunity. Anyone who has ever walked by a Hollywood restaurant or club where there are “Episodes” types littered everywhere, like teeth on the ground at a carnival, would never want to be reminded of this experience on a weekly basis.

But I think Former Joey wins here, which is a little fascinating. Can’t wait until Lisa Kudrow pulls off that Grammy for a very serious folk album that she’s ironically titled “Smelly Cat.” That’s the only thing that can happen next.

The “Let’s Just Keep Embarrassing Ourselves by Giving This Show Another Award” Award: Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory

This show is going to age like a jug of milk in a sauna in a meth lab.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama

Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire)

Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad)

Jeremy Irons (The Borgias)

Kelsey Grammer (Boss)

Damian Lewis (Homeland)

Who Should Win: Steve Buscemi or Bryan Cranston. This is a two-person category that can only be ruined by voters outthinking themselves.

The Snobby, Sophisticated Choice: …Probably somebody else! Ruin accomplished! There’s buzz that Kelsey Grammar, who was in a schlocky, low-budget, straight-to-DVD Michael Moore parody film just three years ago, might win this category. That’s fine. Steve Buscemi was in “Billy Madison,” anyway. But Cranston deserves this. He’s been transcendent for years now. Give him some due. He wasn’t even Globe nominated the year he won his first Emmy.

Number of Pages You Have to Go Through on Google Image Search Until You Find a Guy Named Jeremy Ironing When You Search for “Jeremy Irons:” 73. That took much longer than I anticipated.—Ben Collins

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy

Laura Dern (Enlightened)

Tina Fey (30 Rock)

Laura Linney (The Big C)

Amy Poehler (Parks & Recreation)

Zooey Deschanel (New Girl)

Who Should Win: Amy Poehler (“Parks and Recreation”)

“Leslie Knope 2012″ should be the motto for every Parks and Rec. fan—whether it’s for City Council or Golden Globe. As mentioned in our 2011 end-of-year review of the show, Ms. Poehler has had a breakthrough season filled with campaigns, relationships, and hijinks that no one other than she could play with such heart and conviction. The character of Leslie Knope has evolved past the shadow of Michael Scott and “The Office” gang and has really pushed the show to new levels, making Thursday nights on NBC something to talk about once again.  With her superb reviews, and critical recognition for the show in the past (with, not to mention, 5 Emmy nominations in the same category) I’m thinking her first GG nomination will be enough to have Amy bring home the Golden statue.

The Snobby, Sophisticated Selection: Laura Dern (“Enlightened”)

This one was a toss up.  Both Tina Fey, and Laura Linney could easily be in this category because of their past recognition. But since “30 Rock” hasn’t been on TV since last spring and “The Big C” got canceled this past year, that Laura Dern and her critical darling “Enlightened” (which I’m not even going to pretend I have seen) deserve the coveted Snobby, Sophisticated Selection.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Laura Dern. I mean, “Jurassic Park?: Come on! Pay cable’s “comedramas”—the ones that are better than average dramedies—about a broken women turning their lives around in an extreme way? Love them! But to say that Laura Dern is the best comedic performance out of this extremely talented group of women? Nope.

Then again, Edie Falco was up for a GG just last year for her dramatic role in sister Showtime “comedrama” (we’re going to make this work, damnit) “Nurse Jackie,” so don’t count the Dern out.

The “Best New Artist Effect” Selection: Zooey Deschanel (“New Girl”)

I hate to bring another crappy awards show into the mix, but since Zooey is also in the band She & Him, I feel like it’s valid. The Grammys tend to have this problem with the “Best New Artist” category, where they nominate artists that have been around for plenty of years, but have just come into the mainstream, hence making them a “Best New Artist” nominee for the random, old record execs who tend to vote for the Grammys and heard them on the radio a couple times on KROQ. In recent years, you’ve heard this from Bon Iver, Florence + the Machine, Kings of Leon, etc.

Unfortunately, Zooey is in that category. Now that she is on a network television show, and now that she has hit the true mainstream, her overly Zooey, awkward, hipsteresque “cuteness” that we have seen in many movies and guest stints on TV over the years has taken over the minds of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and turned it a bit mushy. I’ll admit the nomination is completely valid (although, she wouldn’t make my top 5). She makes that show what it is, and people watch it. For her to win? Not so valid.—Gabe Pasillas

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Jessica Lange (American Horror Story)

Kelly MacDonald (Boardwalk Empire)

Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey)

Sofia Vergara (Modern Family)

Evan Rachel Wood (Mildred Pierce)

Who Should Win: Downton Abbey is this destructive force that will tear down entire awards shows, one Spanish flu at a time. There’s really no reason to assume Maggie Smith wouldn’t stop that. She’s the best actress on any TV, even if most of the TVs watching this aren’t in this country.

The Snobby, Sophisticated Choice: For some reason, there have been grumblings that American Horror Story’s Jessica Lange might win this instead. If that’s true, we’ll have to change “snobby, sophisticated choice” to something much, much different next year.

The First Time Anyone Has Ever Said “I’m Just Happy to Be Nominated Amongst These Performances” And Meant It Award: Sofia Vergara.—Ben Collins

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television

Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones)

Paul Giamatti (Too Big to Fail)

Guy Pearce (Mildred Pierce)

Tim Robbins (Cinema Verite)

Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family)

Who Should Win: Tim Robbins

Ironically enough, if I were choosing candidates based on which film was the snobby, sophisticated selection, Cinema Verite would far and away take the cake on that front. Everything about this film wreaks of esoteric, erudite plushness and film school art-house edification. But since we are basing our selection on the actor himself and not the film, Tim Robbins remains duly justified as my no. 1 pick for Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries, Series, or Motion Picture made for Television.

“Cinema Verite,” an HBO drama about the making of “An American Family” tells the behind-the-scenes story of how America’s first reality-TV series came to fruition, and the drama that ensued between the Louds and the show’s creator. It would be a shameless, film-snob ploy for me to pick Tim Robbins based on the fact that this made for TV movie documents the very show that changed the face of TV forever, anointed a new breed of celebrity, and paved the way for modern reality TV shows like “Jersey Shore,” “Keeping Up With The Kardashians,” “The Osbornes,” etc.

But there are no ploys here. Tim Robbins deserves the award for best actor because he truly nails the part of Bill Loud. His style, his mannerisms, the tone of his voice, the accent, gestures and physical expression are a dead ringer for the famous 1970s TV father figure. Bottom line: Tim Robbins is a genius character actor, and he deserves this award for mastering the art of “acting” the part of another human being.

The Snobby, Sophisticated Selection: Paul Giamatti

This made-for-TV film is an edgy, “Smartest Guy in the Room”-flavored drama chronicling the financial meltdown of 2008 (and centering on Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson), and it couldn’t possibly have a more intimidating line-up of incendiary, character-driven lead male actors James Woods, William Hurt, John Heard, Billy Crudup, Bill Pulllman, Tony Shalhoub, Topher Grace, and Ed Asner. How Paul Giamatti got nominated amidst this fiercely talented crew of equally-eligible co-horts is sheer dumb luck in my book. And I would die a salty, crusty death a thousand times over if I ever saw Paul Giamatti play anything other than the same overstimulated, highly-characterized, borderline xenophobic version of himself that is endemic to 99% of his character roles. But that being said, in the age of Occupy Wall Street, the collapse of the Eurozone, and the highest unemployment rate for young people in the history of this country, somehow this movie strikes a relevant, highly-focused chord with American audiences. It therefore deserves credit and attention where it is due (even if it’s in the unruly form of awarding Paul Giamatti with the award for best supporting actor).

The “Wait, That Guy From Modern Family Isn’t Actually Gay?” Award: Eric Stonestreet.

Somehow winning a Golden Globe just doesn’t do him justice. Something more along the lines of the Nobel Prize would be more fitting.—Brooke Citron

First, some results:

- We grew the business 60% from 2010 to approximately $420 million in revenue. We exceeded our plan despite the soft advertising market (economy) in the second half of 2011. Overall the Hulu ad business grew aggressively and Hulu Plus materially exceeded our plan.

- Hulu Plus now has more than 1.5 million paying subscribers and this number continues to grow extremely fast. Hulu Plus has reached 1.5 million paid subscribers faster than any video subscription service launch (online or offline) in U.S. history. We are attracting more than 2x the number of subscribers each day when compared to this time last year. As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, we expect our subscription services to account for more than half of Hulu’s overall business later this year.

- In 2011, we dramatically expanded the content available to Hulu and Hulu Plus customers. Hulu’s content offering grew approximately 40% vs 2010; Hulu Plus’ content offering grew more than 105%. Hulu Plus is the only online video subscription service that offers current season content from 5 of the 6 largest U.S. broadcast networks, with shows from The CW and Univision added this past quarter. In 2011, we added a long roster of great current series, including Grimm, Once Upon a Time, Misfits, Revenge, Terra Nova, Up All Night, New Girl, Una Familia Con Suerte, The Secret Circle, Hart of Dixie, Ringer, Community and many more.

- In 2011, we invested heavily in the development of apps that empower users to access Hulu Plus from a wide variety of devices. Hulu Plus is now accessible on leading consumer electronics devices and mobile operating systems with a combined installed base of over 200 million. Some of the new devices we developed custom applications for include: Microsoft Xbox 360, Amazon’s Kindle Fire, Barnes and Noble’s NOOK Tablet, select Android smartphones, LG, Panasonic and VIZIO TVs and Blu-ray players, and many more.

- The innovative Hulu advertising service continues to lead the online video advertising market, with the largest market share of a rapidly expanding market. We have now served over 1,000 brand advertisers in our company’s short history. We are relentless in our mission to be the most effective video advertising service on the planet, which we believe is a function of respecting users and empowering them with tools like Hulu Ad Swap and Hulu Ad Selector.

—

As you might expect based on the 2011 results mentioned above and our recent launch of Hulu in Japan, we as a team are very bullish on where things go from here. We have conviction that digital ultimately becomes the primary way that consumers across the globe choose to access content. We have been focused on building a strong foundation that empowers the Hulu team to best serve customers (users, advertisers, and content owners). As just one example, our dual revenue stream Hulu Plus business model enables us to compensate content owners much more than anyone else in the online subscription market on a per subscriber basis. At scale, our model allows us to profitably pay content owners approximately 50% more in content licensing fees per subscriber when compared to other similarly priced online subscription services. We believe our approach will enable us to secure more valuable content for our users and to secure content in more attractive windows than would otherwise be possible. To that end, we are excited to invest approximately half a billion in content in 2012 on behalf of our users.

Thank you for continuing to be a part of this Hulu journey and for allowing us to serve you. We will remain relentless in our pursuit of better ways.

Jason

Other than the fact that he’s locked inside of a hotel indefinitely, Shawn Doyle’s character on “Endgame” seems like the prototype of human beings. Arkady Balagan has got whip-crack wit, a conversation-starter accent, and—a worldwide chess champion—he’s the smartest person in the room, regardless of the room.

But, again, about that hotel thing.

He’s the smartest person in the room, but it’s always that same room. Arkady’s fiancée was murdered, so he won’t leave the hotel where she was killed.

The agoraphobia gets to be sort of an issue when you hear about Arkady’s day job. To pay the luxury hotel bills, he uses his chess smarts to be one of those badass TV detectives. Meanwhile, he’s enlisted the hotel employees to be his crime solving assistants (pawns, if you will.)

So what you get is this show that’s trickier than “CSI”—it’s not meant for your dozing grandmother—and prettier and more stylized than Doyle’s go-to comparisons for the show—”House” and “Sherlock Holmes.”

Sound kind of awesome? Well, the first episode of “Endgame” premieres today exclusively on Hulu and Hulu Plus. And new episodes will be released every Monday.

And doesn’t it sound sort of like an impossible role? Arkady has to be both terrified and tough. Brilliant and totally illogical. He’s a walking contradiction, and that’s tough to pull off on TV.

So we decided to talk to “Endgame’s” star, Shawn Doyle, about being charming in tight spaces, almost trading lives with Michael Chiklis, and his arms’ proclivities for accidental breakdancing.

Hulu: How did you get attached to this script? It seems like such a cool idea for a TV show. Were you blown away immediately? What were your first impressions?

Shawn Doyle: Well, when I was first approached about it, I read the script and there’s no doubt about it: The character is a gift from the sky for an actor. He just has unlimited potential and he’s only limited by what the actor can do. I have to say, initially, I was a little concerned about the idea of signing on for a show that only took place in a few locations for me. I thought, “Am I gonna spend seven months in the same set going to the same places over and over again? And will I lose my mind completely or only partially?” Ultimately, I ended up having this email correspondence with our lovely creator Avrum (Jacobson) and he was able to help me understand that even though we’re stuck in this hotel—and a great amount of the storytelling and the mystery solving will take place there—I also will go out of my mind. So there was kind of an escape valve.

Hulu: You don’t get really get the feeling that you’re locked in when you’re watching this show at all. Were you worried about that from the get-go? Not personally, but the show feeling trapped a little bit. (The show) definitely avoids that.

Doyle: That was definitely a concern—that the show would feel small, right? But, first of all, when we did go out, there was enough talented people involved that the actors made it sing and really enliven the show. There are these incredible beautiful sets that allow us to shoot from every conceivable angle. All these different approaches to different scenes really helped. I just think that the element of the imagination can give us a more fantastical sense to the show than the regular, gritty cop show, for example. Acting in it, I never really did feel trapped, ultimately. When I’m watching episodes, I don’t feel like they’re constrained by the limitations of (being locked in.)

Also, what’s interesting about acting in the same sets over and over again: The sets almost become a blank canvas. The scenes become the paint. Every scene has a different color or a different hue or a different style. In that way, the sets were always fresh.

Hulu: There’s probably no better male identity than this character. You get this really omniscient guy who’s incredibly brilliant. I don’t know if you’ve taken that on—if you’ve personally identified as this guy who knows a little bit about everything. That’s a pretty cool alter-ego to have. Did you read this script and say, “I can’t wait to be this person for the next couple of months?”

Doyle: Well, it’s kind of like playing Superman or something, right? I’ve had the good fortune in this year to play both this character and another character, which was the John Adams of Canada. His name is John A. Macdonald, and he’s the father of the Confederation. He’s the guy who basically united country. He’s our greatest hero, you know. When I played that role, I was scared to death about taking on that responsibility. What I realized what I was doing was that that wasn’t my responsibility to come up with a character. My responsibility was just to be as present as possible in every moment. Just try to be alive in the moment. Keep breathing. Whatever the character is will be determined at the end of the process—after the editors do their things, and the directors and the writers.

This character is the same thing. I was kind of scared s–tless at the beginning. This guy was so incredibly smart and fast and facile with his mind and charming. Whenever you hear the word charming, by the way, it’s a bit like saying, “Don’t think about the elephant.” “Just be charming,” they say. Okay, I’ll just flick the switch. But, again, it was just about playing the moments.

These writers came up with such incredibly unique and weird and eccentric and funny lines and moments. I just tried to breathe and be present. They all add up after a while. Other than that, you just lose your mind trying to be something your not. I mean, I’m not a brilliant chess player. I don’t even have blond hair.

Hulu: There is this new genre on TV of males acting like dicks but being really endearing. But it’s very hard to do that. That character rarely exists in real life. You get one who is brilliant and it’s very hard not to like him. Were you conscious of trying to be tough and gritty, while being the guy in this show that every viewer needs to like? How did you put both of those things together?

Doyle: I think it requires a great amount of denial about what you’re doing. For me, it’s too much pressure to take on, “Oh God, I’ve gotta be ‘the guy.’ If I suck, the show sucks. If I don’t find those other elements than the ‘gritty dark,’ then how are we going to make this show?”

I think it’s just about jumping off the cliff. You’ve gotta have faith. You’ve gotta trust the writing. Even with the accent—the accent was this long process. We went with something that was originally more authentically Russian. Then I realized that the Russian accent that I was going to do was not going to be big enough for this sort of character. So I made him more of this cosmopolitan European. It’s not a 100-percent authentic Russian accent. At some point, I have to go, “Well, screw that.” I can’t concern myself with that anymore. It’s more important that I just play the character.

I think there was concern that it was all going to be too dark and that I was going to play this too dark. I’ve played pretty heavy characters in the past.

Hulu: Actually, it comes off as very light, considering the circumstances.

Doyle: Well, you know, when I met these guys I said the success of this character is going to rely on how the actor who plays him can surprise himself. You can’t go into knowing what you’re going to do with any moment or any scene with this character. You’ve just got to, again, just jump off that cliff and find out where you land. There’s that element of surprise for yourself that makes it fun. What people are responding to with this character, I think, is not that the character is charming or funny or light, but that I’m having fun doing it. I think that’s what’s attractive about it.

It’s also a blast, like you said, being a dick and being smart. It’s so much fun to mess with other people’s heads. As an actor, I’d find ways to play and screw around with people. You get the freedom to do that in front of the character that you’d never have in real life.

Hulu: Oh, this sounds fun. Give me one of the examples of you screwing around with people.

Doyle: In the first episode, when I go down to argue with the hotel manager to not cut off my tab, there’s one moment when my arms, unbeknownst to myself decided to do this crazy, bird-flapping breakdance thing. It’s not anything an actor would choose to do because it’s far less than cool. I did that in the scene and, at the end of the scene, I did a pirouette. These are things that House is not allowed to do. There’s certainly moments like that that happen throughout the shooting of the entire season. You’re never sure if they’ll ever make the episode, but more often than not they did. Because without those very peculiar, eccentric moments, then he’s just another detective.

The other thing, with this character, is that I walk around so quickly. I’m almost like a bird. He’s got a lot of things to do and a lot of places to go, except he’s going nowhere and hardly doing anything. There’s kind of a compensation for that. Our creator and our director, David Frazee, think this is something just works. It helps dictate the rhythm of the show in a way.

Hulu: This show does something that no other show really does: It has an actual grasp of technology. It tries to do detective work in ways that people might actually do things nowadays. It’s something that procedurals and crime shows just don’t have right now. They rely on old, 40-year-old tricks. You’ll see the same thing on an A-Team episode that you’ll see on CSI next week. In this show, you’re using texting tricks and using iPhones. There are no beep-boop computer noises. It’s very focused and modern. It doesn’t seem like TV. It seems like something someone would do in real life.

Doyle: The genesis for using all of those things was to make it modern, but it was also so a detective who was (stuck in a hotel) could actually do things. He wouldn’t have data banks and police resources. And, of course, it makes the show look cooler and sexier when you can hold up an iPad and zoom through a picture. For me, what made the show is when we got to these brain moments when he had to figure out how to do things in a different way than we’ve done them before. Some of that was accomplished with CGI, some of it was very theatrical in that there were real-time effects happening on-set. I think a lot of the technology helped facilitate that.

Hulu: So if you were talking to someone who had an hour or two to burn on Hulu one day, what would be your elevator pitch for “Endgame?”

Doyle: My elevator pitch?

Hulu: Is that a phrase anywhere but here? I just realized that this might be an inside baseball thing.

Doyle: I think so.

Hulu: Man, I’m so glad Canada does not have the phrase “elevator pitch.” So, if you’re trying to convince someone to watch something or do something, what is your best 15 second pitch for that person?

Doyle: The reason to watch “Endgame” is that if you’re a fan of the mystery genre, you’re going to find a combination of “Columbo,” “House,” “Inspector Poirot,” and “Sherlock Holmes” all tied in with something that’s modern and slightly whimsical. But, at the same time, it sometimes has really heavy dramatic undertones.

Hulu: What are your thoughts on releasing this show to U.S. audiences for the first time?

Doyle: Well, I think the show is really unique. If there’s anything American TV has proven over the last ten years, it’s that people are really curious about what the new, unique take is on things. I think it’s a really new, unique character, and we’re seeing it all over the world. I’ve got so many followers of this show—this character—from every corner of the globe. It’s crazy. From Turkey and Russia to Australia, New Zealand, South America, Africa and Europe. Clearly, it’s striking a chord with people. So I’m looking forward to it striking a chord in the States.

Hulu: And how do you feel about Hulu and releasing shows digitally in general?

Doyle: There was a period of time in the early 2000s and I was in California shooting a movie called “The Majestic” with Frank Darabont and I stopped in to see a specific casting director who was a fan of mine. She had introduced me to a bunch of creators of a show called “The Shield.” She was wondering if I was interested in coming in and auditioning for it—the Michael Chiklis role—a brilliant role. And that night I called my manager at the time—who I’m no longer with—and he said, “You don’t want to be on some stupid thing on FX! Nobody watches FX! Come on!”

And I think I learned a really valuable lesson at that moment—that you have to be cognizant of what the trends are, what history is, and what direction it’s going in. And, at the end of the day, good stories are what’s going to draw people in—whatever the medium is.

Today’s tour guide: the impossible-to-cheer-up NBC. Chairman and programming chief Bob Greenblatt is talking right now, mostly using sad adjectives that fathers use after their son gently drives into a pole while playing with his iPod.

I mean, here’s his opening kicker: “We had a really bad fall. Worse than we’d hoped for, but about what I expected.”

Not exactly a glowing endorsement! Here are some more notes.

- Greenblatt: “I appreciate how respectful you’ve been towards me personally, and especially my staff.” I am rooting for this person.

- “Our most recent scripted hit is six years old. Important hits have lost important castmembers this year.” He’s probably being a little hard on himself, here. Community‘s a syndication hit, I think. Whitney is doing well, for some reason.

- “Mariska Hargitay isn’t leaving Law & Order.” In fact, Law & Order’s gonna have a love interest for her! Nothing says sexy like figuring out why a man was murdered in an alley.

- Spoiler alert: Here’s your love interest—Harry Connick Jr.

He’ll be the new Assistant DA, boyfriend, and guy who sings “That’s Amore” after he puts that scumbag in the clink.

- Greenblatt: “Community has not been cancelled. It’ll definitely be back mid-Spring. I failed to explicitly say that it will be back. I know there are many fans of this show in the room today and I want you to keep writing about it.”

- Thank God.

- More on Community: “I don’t know if it’s fair to ask it to start off the night again.” What about a 4th season? ”I’m not sure about that yet.”

- NBC has picked up five pilots before Thanksgiving and will have more in the next couple of weeks.

- Greenblatt: “We have a long road ahead of us, so bear with us.” Yikes. I like this guy’s toughness.

- Prime Suspect: “We were never gonna find a way to grow that audience.”

On the new Katherine McPhee-led “Smash,” which looks genuinely good for musical lovers: ”I don’t believe it’s a make or break kind of a show for us. We really are proud of it and excited about what it can do. Hopefully the synergy of the night will unify (“Smash” and “The Voice”).”

- Greenblatt, facetiously talking about his former run as the head at Showtime: ”I’m done with cable. It’s a dying business, and ruining the culture of America.”

- Here’s good news for Hulu in general, and great news for the future of TV shows on the Internet:

“There’s a general fear in the broadcast world of exposing something digitally and hurting the rating. I get that fear. When we were at Showtime, we needed to get sampling. I know they’re apples to oranges. But one could say that was a contributing factor. … We’re going to employ that with Smash and see what happens.”

He talked about New Girl in here, too, and said how that show’s popularity can be owed in large part to its sneak peek digital launch.

- About why Prime Suspect couldn’t garner an audience: “Is that too cable a character for this audience? Was that too cable? I don’t know. The audience seems to want to be entertained with escapist and fantasy and comedy. Maybe a hard-hitting cop show with a dead body in the first scene isn’t what they want to see.”

- On Whitney: “I know the backlash of the laughtrack. I’ve heard about it. I know.” It’s not the laughtrack. It’s everything else.

- But maybe it will change. I’d welcome that. “I’m pleased with Whitney. With every new show, you find the show the more episodes you do. I think the episode that airs next Wednesday is really strong. I’m hopeful that Whitney will be a long-term player for us.”

“Fashion Star,” The American Idol of Sexy Outfits
It’s back to reality TV for Nicole Richie and Jessica Simpson. But milking cows and talking about questionable canned food they are not. Along with designer John Varvatos, the three fashion icons serve as celebrity mentors on “Fashion Star,” NBC’s new reality competition series debuting in March. The midseason series searches for the next big fashion label with supermodel Elle Macpherson as host and Ben Silverman, executive producer of “The Office” and “The Biggest Loser.”

Here’s what primetime’s newest fashion brigade said Friday morning:

- It’s a different kind of reality show: Viewers will get to buy garments made by “Fashion Star” designers at Macy’s, H&M, Saks immediately after episodes air. “This is about real fashion. As America watches, they can walk into the store the next day and buy the items,” said Nicole Richie. Talk about some serious (and exciting) cross-promotion.

- Each episode will start with a fashion show, which Silverman compares to those sassy, infamous Victoria Secret runways.

- Executive Producer Ben Silverman said those who get inspired by “The Biggest Loser” will get equally inspired by “Fashion Star.” (“Fashion Star” will follow “The Biggest Loser” on Tuesdays.)

- A very preggos Jessica Simpson announced she’s working on a maternity collection for her fashion line.

- Silverman says to expect “fierce and fun” competition. We wouldn’t expect anything less. — Sheila Dichoso

“Are You There, Chelsea?” Is Not Nearly As Good As This Panel Is

We spent yesterday watching this show, which had laughtrack that mimicked—to a T—Kim Jong Il’s funeral. Sheila and I could not figure this thing out. It was so profoundly ’90s—comically large jail set, comically overused jail jokes, DUI’s being dealt with cutely, like someone getting a papercut—that we couldn’t catch up.

Sheila watched the second episode while I cried alone in a public park. Maybe it got better. You should ask her.

But I couldn’t deal with it.

Then this panel was so charming and cohesive. Lenny Clarke was this warm, grandfatherly figure, tossing out compliments that seem heavy and sincere. It made it seem like I watched the wrong thing. He interrupted a story that was going nowhere to say this.

“Look, Chelsea’s brilliant, she’s a genius, and she’s—I’ll say it—hot,” he says.

Chelsea butted in quickly to stop this.

“You’re not (getting some with) me, Lenny.”

Then Lenny dropped this afterward, amongst a smaller set of us: “This thing is better than ‘According to Jim,’ and that piece of (expletive) was on for nine years.”

I’m not sure that’s true, but these people made me want it to be.–Ben Collins

“Smash”: Don’t You Dare Call It “Glee”
Frankly, Smash looks solid, and so far it was the show all the TV types in the room seemed the most excited about. In saying that, I even believe that people who find musicals insufferable (yes, these people exist) should give this one a chance. I mean, it stars Anjelica effin’ Huston.

Here, we have talent straight outta Broadway like Megan Hilty and Mark Shaiman (music composer of Hairspray) and even Steven Spielberg as one of the executive producers dramatizing the making of a Broadway musical about Marilyn Monroe. And I’m happy that Katharine McPhee’s landed what seems like a promising gig. She’s pretty talented.

Here are a few tidbits from the panel:

- Smash isn’t Glee for adults. Executive Producer Craig Zadan says “Smash isn’t like Glee, but we’re grateful to Glee for opening that door.” Spielberg used The West Wing as a model for the tone he wanted to convey. So think of it as gritty like Chicago but fun like Hairspray.

- We got to watch a sneak peek of episode five performance “Let’s Be Bad” by Megan Hilty as Ivy Lynn as Marilyn Monroe. It was just as fiery and emotional as any Broadway number.

- Team Karen vs. Team Ivy: Katharine McPhee and Hilty play Karen and Ivy, respectively, the dualing Marilyns who executive producer Theresa Rebeck said represent the double life of Norma Jean/Marilyn. Expect to take a side and get ready for those #TeamKaren and #TeamIvy hashtags. – Sheila Dichoso

It’s our Top 10 Breakout TV Characters of 2011. These are ten characters that took the next step from good to great—or appeared for the first time—over the last calendar year. So, don’t worry, those three characters will probably never see each other in real life—thank God—but they did make for a great year of TV.—Ed.

10 – Jess, New Girl

There’s this tacit understanding with everyone I’ve met that when we talk about “New Girl,” the conversation will start with this sentence: “She’s cute, but is she too cute?”

And the answer, of course, is yes. If your roommate sang bad ’80s songs around you all day, you’d probably find a really meaningful monument to jump off as soon as possible. But is the cuteness part of her character? See, that’s debatable. Her inherent cutesiness—adorkability, if you want to use the catchphrase—might actually serve as a reasonable deflection. The other characters on the show are some of the best on a TV comedy right now and that’s because she supplies a great set-up. And, man, sometimes she’s just straight up, sincerely cute, and that breaks the whole argument.

But the fact that we had to type a paragraph the size of most Twilight novels up there proves this: Jess is one of the most fascinating characters on TV right now. And, above all, she’s one of the best parts about one of the funniest new shows on TV.

Throw around as many SAT words as you want. She belongs on this list.—Ben Collins

9 – Ruxin, The League

In The League’s hilarious ensemble cast, it should be hard to pick a true breakout star, but 2011 was easily the Year of Ruxin.  The sleazy attorney (Nick Kroll) has been comedy gold this year.  What other character on The League has not just one tagline, but two? (“Everyone calls me Ruxin” and “Forever Unclean!”)

It’s always great when you can get to know a character’s quirks and hangups. Since Season 1, the combination of Ruxin’s fastidious cleanliness and brazen lack of morals have been a delight to watch, but this year he took it up a few notches. Ruxin stole the show early in Season 3 – cringing in horror as he watched his newly-bought championship ring getting deeply involved in a homemade porno.  Later, he pretends to be religious to get his baby into a Jewish preschool. Since his wife forbids him to look at any kind of pornography, Ruxin carries a semi-nude photo of her everywhere. And shows it to people.  To cheat in a League fitness contest, he wears a pedometer on his wrist. You can guess how he wins.  He gets high on painkillers and abandons his own strict hygienic purity standards during a game of beer pong, drinking a beer with a ping pong ball that has been on the men’s room floor.  In the magnificent Thanksgiving episode, Jeff Goldblum guest starred as Ruxin’s effete father, perfectly mimicking all of Ruxin’s trademark sneers and eye-rolls. Ruxin joins a religious cult to get fantasy football tips, and his filth-laden trash-talking e-mails get him in hot water at work. You love to see him win, you love to see him lose.—Nathan Alexander

8 – Louise, Bob’s Burgers

I’m not sure what it says about our culture that most of the breakout characters on animated shows exhibit psychopathic tendencies, but I’ve come to accept that these little tykes get all the best jokes.  Just think about it—do you watch Family Guy for Meg’s weekly humiliation, or to see matricidal Stewie plot to take over the world?  South Park favorite Cartman already has quite the body count (I’d suggest passing on his chili con carne) and Bart Simpson has certainly had his moments with weaponry.  So it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that Fox newcomer Bob’s Burgers isn’t immune to this trend.  But, at least this time around, we’re not stuck with another bad boy.

We finally got a bad girl.

Louise, a 9 year old with a Machiavellian sense of humor, is Bob’s youngest and most cunning child.  She’s also the reason I tune in every week.  With her pink bunny ears, Louise certainly looks innocent enough, but behind her wide smile lurks a girl who fantasizes about eating lobster as her last meal on death row, tells people her dad’s burgers are made of human flesh, and can’t wait to play in a morgue.  Kristen Schaal’s outstanding voice work brings Louise to life in such a vividly funny way that I half expect Kristen to don pink bunny ears on her Daily Show appearances.—Andrea Marker

7 – Erin Hannon, The Office

When Pam and Jim got hitched on “The Office” in 2009, it was high time for the show to bring in some fresh blood. Enter Erin (Ellie Kemper), the bubbly, naïve redhead who filled in for Pam behind the Dunder-Mifflin reception desk. Not only did she take calls (to hilarious effect), but she immediately fit in with the staff, bonding with Kelly , following Dwight’s inane orders, and awkwardly flirting with Andy. Thanks to “Bridesmaids,” Ellie Kemper hit it big this year, of course, but we think 2011 has also been Erin’s year on the “The Office.” Case in point: the Christmas episode, where the usually sober receptionist gets more than a little unhinged upon meeting Andy’s new girlfriend. —Rebecca Harper

6 – Wilfred, Wilfred

Look, there’s nothing funnier on this planet than a dog acting mostly like a human. It’s a certifiable truth, backed up mostly by that viral video where that talking dog gets genuinely upset when his owner screws him over on a bag of treats.

It’s even better when a dog that knows how to talk (and is able to dole out relationship advice to people in the suburbs) still latches onto what dogs generally tend to like. It’s why Brian on “Family Guy” has worked all these years.

But Wilfred? Wilfred just takes it to a whole new level.

The whole show is about Wilfred (Jason Gann), a dog who can only be seen as a human by Elijah Wood’s chronically depressed character Ryan. It’s one of the best shows of the year, and some of the funniest moments on TV in 2011 came from Wilfred just acting like a dog and not even telling jokes.

I mean, here’s a man in a dog costume wearing a cone of shame and acting genuinely upset. This is the America I want to live in.—Ben Collins

5 – Stefon, Saturday Night Live

I’d love to party with Stefon. SNL’s city correspondent/club kid keeps us ordinary, salt of the earth folk informed with New York City’s hottest clubs, like Slice, Slash, or Uuuunce, that feature everything: Schizos, pugs, kite enthusiasts, puppets doing karate, a Teddy Ruxpin wearing mascara, and even a Russian man with a prepaid cellphone.

But, seriously, Bill Hader’s Stefon is ridiculous in the best possible way. His nervous energy, predilection for Ed Hardy and flirtatious banter with Weekend Update anchor Seth Meyers is hilarious and super endearing. However, Hader’s constant breaking is the reason why Stefon is so priceless. When he bashfully covers his mouth in shock of the zany club descriptions that blurt out of his mouth, we all know it’s Hader, who’s usually a pro at keeping in character, practically on the verge of losing it.

So even when Meyers begs Stefon for “family-friendly,” or at the very least, “non-psychotic” suggestions, NYC’s premiere city guide will continue to excitedly go on about a “hot new spot called Heeeeeeeeeey.” But, like Meyers, we always welcome him back on the show. His passion for bizarre clubs is infectious.—Sheila Dichoso

4 – Max Black, 2 Broke Girls

TV’s had its share of bad girls —Elisa Dushku’s Faith on Buffy, Blair on Gossip Girl, and Amanda Woodward on “Melrose” — but it’s rare that they get to headline a show. Enter Kat Dennings on “2 Broke Girls.” As Brooklyn waitress Max Black, she’s edgy, impatient, and sarcastic, and the perfect foil for her poor-little-rich-girl roommate, Caroline (Beth Behrs). —Rebecca Harper

3 – Dean Craig Pelton – Community
The Dean’s extravagant outfits and the inter-deanal sexual tension between him and Dean Spreck from City College have always given us a laugh. But ever since The Dean watched his beloved Greendale Community College get ravaged by a paintball war for the second time, he seems to have been suffering a descent into madness, out-Chang-ing even Student Chang. Oh, would that this hoodie were a time hoodie to take us to simpler times, but we are liking this darker Dean who is clearly overwhelmed by the rigors of community academia. Between making Jeff Winger engage in blackmail karaoke and falling into a “Heart of Darkness”-style K-hole shooting a recruitment video for the school, we’re eager to see the depths to which the self-described “Craig-ular Joe” will plunge. E pluribus anus, indeed.–Martin Moakler

2 – Ron Swanson, Parks and Recreation

Parks and Recreation has become arguably the flagship of the NBC Thursday night lineup ever since its additions of funny men Adam Scott and Rob Lowe in Season 3. But one character became new and improved when he had to take a mild airtime backseat: Ron Swanson.

In 2011, Ron Swanson has become a household name. Of course, this bacon loving, knife wielding, mustache wearing, man’s man has always been a staple of Parks & Rec, but with a couple more guys on the crew, Ron has been able to rise above the rest and become known to the outside world as the face of the show. His Pyramid of Greatness has become an internet staple, and his obsession with brunettes and breakfast foods has become another reason to watch. Or in his own words: “You had me at meat tornado.”—Gabe Pasillas

1 – Max Blum – Happy Endings

Max Blum is a lot of things. He’s a slob. He’s an aspiring limo driver. He’s a fan of day drinking while watching football. He’s a little out of shape. He’s always up for a prank. He’s hilarious.

Max is also not a lot of things. He is not a dandy. He is not a pining eunuch. He is not an accessory for some straight girl. He is not obsessed with show tunes or Top Model or Madonna.

He is just “one of the guys”—who happens to be one of the gays. That’s slightly revolutionary for TV. And, yes, while it’s a little stupid that this is slightly revolutionary for TV, it’s still important that he’s also one of the funniest guys in the middle of the best new ensemble cast since Friends or M*A*S*H* or Destiny’s Child.

Look, the cultural significance is abundant here. But he’s at the top because the show has reached can’t-miss status in its second season. It’s a laugh-a-second, 30 minute joke free-for-all for the ADD generation. And Max is their anchor. So he’s our top breakout character of 2011.– Martin Moakler

1 – Friday Night Lights

Look, we almost cried.

There was a filmic gauze over this show that made everything seem warmer and bigger. It made your life seem like it could be just as important—if you only moved to Texas and walked around with a heavy cinematic filter over your eyes.

What was it, after all, that set you apart from them? Your kid’s school is probably dealing with budget cuts, but Dillon football’s existence seemed more important. You’re probably in a relationship of some sort, or are fresh out of one, or are about to be in one. But Tami and Coach Taylor’s relationship seemed to have more weight about how couples move about the world than your own.

So the final season of “Friday Night Lights” was our nearly unanimous choice for the Best Drama of 2011.

Maybe there are more artful shows out there. We’ll take a beating for tossing “Boardwalk Empire” and Other Shows of Extended Silence toward the back of this list and giving this show its one last awards life. We’d understand that.

But we were groveling and trying not to cry at work at the end of this thing, and we’re talking about a high school football coach. It was accomplished with all of the gravitas of those shows with much more network support, much better timeslots, and much more historically divisive and important plotlines.

I say that, by the way—historically important—but I don’t know if I mean it. Nothing really seemed more historically important, at the time, than finding out if Philadelphia would welcome Eric Taylor at season’s end.

This show made every little, domestic, minute, small-town, unimportant thing you did in your own life seem bigger. It drilled down to your emotional middle with cinematic scope.

Life became slightly larger and weightier after watching it. We’re not happy that things will get smaller again now that it’s gone. But we can toss it a last bit of thanks for being one of the best shows TV has ever had.