The last twelve months have been great for TV, with some decidedly memorable moments.  We’re still firmly entrenched in this Second Golden Age of Television … if you discount 90% of what’s out there (looking at you, reality television!).  There were some great hits, some surprising flops and a few heartening comebacks.  After the jump you’ll find some of my picks for the best, worst, most confusing and also the most underrated of the year (spoiler-free!).  It’s not meant to be exhaustive or definitive, but contains a few memories and considerations from 2012.  And though I do watch an ungodly amount of TV, there’s plenty I’m not caught up on, so let me know what I’ve missed. Hit the jump to check it out.

While we poor American souls must wait until January 6th for the third season premiere of Edwardian zeitgeist juggernaut Downton Abbey, that season has already aired in the UK in full (minus the Christmas Special).  However, Downton uber-fan Michelle Obama apparently asked British producers if, as a favor, she could view the tapes early, before they air in the U.S.  Stephen Colbert reacted to this on The Colbert Report last night, with not only indignation to the idea, but by going one step further.  He countered with a sneak peek of his own: new scenes from Breaking Bad … performed by the men of Downton Abbey.  Hit the jump for the video of this hilarious mashup.

The American Film Institute has announced its annual Top 10 lists.  In the film category, this awards season’s usual suspects popped up as Zero Dark Thirty, Lincoln, Argo, Les Miserables and Silver Linings Playbook made the cut alongside Django Unchained and Moonrise Kingdom.  AFI is notable for also including a few popular titles on their lists (last year Bridesmaids and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo landed in the Top 10), and this year is no exception as fan-favorite The Dark Knight Rises nabbed a spot.  Notably absent, though, is Paul Thomas Anderson’s polarizing drama The Master.

On the TV side of things, Emmy-winner Homeland made the cut as well as Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, Louie, The Walking Dead, and FX’s American Horror Story.  AMC’s Mad Men landed on the list for a fifth time, making it the most recognized AFI Awards TV honoree in history.  Hit the jump to check out the full Top 10’s for both TV and Film.

The Producers Guild of American announced the TV and Digital Series nominations for the 24th Annual Producers Guild Awards today.  The Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television Drama nominees include Breaking Bad, Downton Abbey, Game of Thrones, Homeland, and Mad Men, while the comedy category consists of 30 Rock, The Big Bang Theory, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Louie, and Modern Family.  Hit the jump to see the full list of nominees.  All other nominations (including film) will be announced on January 3, 2013, followed by the 2013 Producers Guild Award ceremony on January 26, 2013.

We’ve got a ton of stuff to get through in Limited Paper today, including a look at Mondo’s next big gallery show (featuring artwork from Australian duo We Buy Your Kids), FroDesignCo’s series of Mythic Beasts Travel Posters (featuring Limited Paper’s spirit animal, the Chupacabra), Gallery1988’s Rated G (featuring work from Justin White), and—because why the hell not—we also need to provide an update on our latest contest/giveaway while teasing the next one.  Phew.  Bring a bookmark and meet me on the other side of the jump, my fellow poster junkies.

I’m a sucker for science, so this bit of news pleases me greatly: the ever-interesting Discovery Channel series Mythbusters is planning a Breaking Bad-centric episode.  That’s right, Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman are set to tackle a couple of experiments inspired by events from AMC’s stellar drama series Breaking Bad.  Moreover, stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul will be making an appearance in the episode.  Just what Breaking Bad science will they be testing?  Hit the jump to find out.

With writer-director Rian Johnson‘s Looper opening today, I’ve spent all week posting exclusive video interviews with the cast (here’s Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Emily Blunt).  The film takes place in a future where time travel exists, but it’s only used on the black market.  Gordon-Levitt plays a “Looper”, a hitman who is contracted to kill people that are sent back in time, and then disposes of the bodies so the victim technically no longer exists.  Things go awry when his future self (Bruce Willis) is sent back in time as a target and then escapes.  The film also stars Jeff Daniels and Paul Dano.  For more on the film, here are 4 clips and Matt’s review.

At this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, I got to speak with Johnson.  We talked about the positive buzz for the film, what it meant to be the opening film of TIFF, Breaking Bad, his writing process on Looper and how it was different than his previous work (Brick and The Brothers Bloom), deleted scenes and what will be on the Blu-ray (up to 45 minutes!), how The Terminator was an influence, future projects (says he’s got “five or six germs of ideas”), and a lot more.  Hit the jump to watch.

With Looper set to bow in theaters this weekend, director Rian Johnson took some time out of his busy schedule to participate in an AMA (Ask Me Anything) at Reddit.  What followed was an absolute deluge from the writer/director in a back-and-forth that encompassed everything from his box office expectations for Looper, to working with long-time friend Joseph Gordon-Levitt, to his favorite episode of Cowboy Bebop.  Hit the jump to see what Johnson had to say.

Looper, also starring Bruce Willis, Jeff Daniels and Emily Blunt, opens September 28th.

The 2012 Emmy Awards air Sunday at 8pm on ABC during all of your other programming (set those DV-Rs!), so is the show worth watching?  Will there be any upsets?  Or will it just be worth it to sit there smugly as Bryan Cranston wins again for Breaking Bad, turning to your friends, significant other or Siri and saying “I totally called that.”  Hit the jump to see my predictions for who will win and whoshould win Sunday night based on Vegas odds, rumors, secret handshakes, the predictability of Emmy voters, with maybe an upset or two thrown in to keep things interesting.

Since fans of Vince Gilligan’s hit AMC drama Breaking Bad will have to wait until next year for the show’s epic conclusion, we thought we’d share this entertaining intro sequence to help pass the time.  From French graphic designer Martin Woutisseth comes a re-imagined Breaking Bad intro that features motion animation, great Easter eggs from the series and pays homage to a number of cast members past and present.  If you’re not familiar with the show, be sure to get caught up on all of our episode recaps here.  Fan or not, hit the jump to check out the awesome intro from Woutisseth!

Breaking Bad‘s mid-season finale, which aired this past Sunday, was not as explosive as some of the show’s finales in the past, but it was quietly stunning (quite literally).  The series maneuvered everyone’s favorite (or most hated) high school chemistry teacher turned meth kingpin into some of his (and the series’) most serious territory yet — a great setup for what is bound to be an extremely anxiety-inducing final eight episodes next summer.  Series creator Vince Gilligan recently sat down to discuss some of the finer points of Sunday night’s episode, including where Walt might be headed next, as well as the final eight episodes of the series.  Spoilers, of course, you are not caught up on the series — otherwise, hit the jump for more.

With Breaking Bad, viewers should know by now that nothing stays good for long.  As I mentioned last week, the gut punch may not be in how things may eventually end up, but the way they get there.  In prior seasons we’ve been teased, often week to week, with cryptic scenes or images without context whose significance, once revealed, is almost nothing like what we could have imagined.  The pink, one-eyed bear in the pool and the body bags in the driveway from Season Two are great examples, but it’s those twists and turns and layers that make the show so engaging and addictive.  The tease that kicked off this season with Walt celebrating his 52nd birthday alone, in another state, with an alias has not yet been solved, though we’ve gotten pieces of how he got there (Mike’s documents, for example), and a glimpse at a few hints (the cough). What we do know for sure is that the ride from Point A (the mid-season finale) to Point B (that diner scene) is going to be wild.  Hit the jump for why you may need to stock up on anxiety meds for 2013.

One of the occasional perks of this gig is getting to see episodes in advance, but this week no such luck as, clearly, the spontaneous head combustion of critics across the country would have tipped somebody off.  One of the things that makes Breaking Bad such a phenomenal show (and the list is long) is its ability to elicit strong, visceral reactions from viewers.  There aren’t many shows I shout at, talk to, coax, cover my face and have to pick my jaw up from the floor and remember to take deep breaths because of.  Breaking Bad knows just when and how to punch us in the gut.  Sometimes the trick is half an element of surprise (as in two episodes ago), but perhaps even worse is the dread of watching the slow march towards the inevitable.  And no matter how it plays out for viewers, the terrible consequences are never glossed over.  Hit the jump for more of the specifics of this incredible episode.

In the last jam-packed installment of Limited Paper, we looked at Gallery1988’s Breaking Bad series, we revealed three new posters from the folks at Mondo, and we shared a handful of exclusive images from Ltd. Art Gallery’s upcoming Press Start show.  There was a lot to look at, and today’s column will be no different:   after the jump , we’ve got information on Ian Glaubinger’s 6-poster Monsters of Horror series, a head’s up on Spoke Art’s soon-to-be-released Raging Bull prints, and—last but not least—we reveal who won a trio of free posters in our exclusive Star Wars/Gangsta contest.  Meet me after the jump for all this (and more), my fellow Limited Paper enthusiasts.

Been a busy past few days, has it not?  Jock released his eagerly-anticipated Dark Knight Rises AP’s, Gallery1988’s long-running Breaking Bad series came to an explosive finish (offering up a brand-new Ken Taylor screenprint and an amazing gallery show), and LtD Art Gallery announced a new video-game based art show debuting at the end of the month.  Oh, and Mondo just announced a kick-ass new poster for one of the year’s best documentaries, The Ambassador.

Wanna know more?  Sure ya do.  Meet me after the jump, my fellow Limited Paper enthusiasts.