Can I trademark this?

[aleazus]

I'm interested in trademarking an animation series that has the potential to get onto television but has never aired yet and doesn't have a network deal yet. I have the name of the series, an animation short, characters, and information posted on the website. I have the option to sell stuff on the website with the name. How can I go about trademarking this series, do I need to actually sell it as a product on my website or can I just display the animation on the website?
Also I'm considering accepting donations with rewards for funding the project. Would that qualify for a trademark in some aspect?

 

[FlyingRon]

Trademark rights arise from using the mark in commerce. You can distinguish that you consider a graphic or text to be a mark by using a ™ symbol (or explicity stating it is a trademark). Additional rights arise from registering the mark. Check out the faq at http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/index.jsp