Tutorials!!!

 
Lighting:

For lighting, make sure you create a ground plane, otherwise we will not be able to see shadows being cast. These videos are to help give you a jump-start on lighting so you do not have to wait until after the Thanks Giving brake.

batch render

3-Point Lighting

renderSettings_andFinalGather

rayTrace_settings

(quick and basic)
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlfcIIFD0WU

(three part series)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUS1CMhQmAM&feature=related

Texturing:

Unwrap_the_UVs

Large_list_of_texturing_tutorials_from_Kate

A library of new textures available in Maya 2012
substance_procedural_textures

Animation:

On all of these animation tutorials, do not try to do everything they do, just take the applicable information and apply it to your work.

(monotonous but super basic tutorial)
http://www.ehow.com/video_4445138_using-uv-mapping-maya.html?cp=1&wa_vrid=094a7b7d-a46b-4351-894a-ac95737d25ca&pid=1&wa_vlsrc=continuous 

(This guy is grumpy and sassy, but actually a pretty good tutorial on the graph editor)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poB-nfnM_wA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6jYOjfw9cQ


Blendshapes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmNmdRKtcSs

Rigging:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLhCIlsdd6o

Paint Weights:(This is what you have to do after you rig your model)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TACB6bX8SN0

Extrude: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKwE_tzV7l8

Revolve:
http://vimeo.com/6916681

(this is one of the weirdest tutorials I have seen in a long time, but pretty informative)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDp-HAwbDXM

Sculpting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHbFZzfVXbY

Soft Select:
(way in depth...possibly a little too much)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tl1utGRX9aw