Being a Prime member at Amazon just got a bit sweeter with the announcement late yesterday that the online giant has signed a licensing agreement with MGM to offer hundreds of classic movies and TV programs to members. The service, which is available for $79 a year and offers customers free two-day shipping, already offers over 18,000 movies and TV episodes for instant streaming.

“Our customers tell us they love having tons of movies and TV shows to choose from, which is why we are focused on adding even more titles to our already extensive Prime Instant Video library,” said Brad Beale, director of digital video content acquisition for Amazon. “MGM offers one of the most distinguished catalogs in all of Hollywood, and this deal will bring Prime Instant Video customers hundreds of new titles to enjoy on their Kindle Fire or any device compatible with Amazon Instant Video.

Customers can enjoy favorites like The Silence of the Lambs, Dances with Wolves, Rain Man and The Terminator, as well as fan-favorite TV series like Stargate.”

For more, click through for the full press release from Amazon.

Sad news to report: The Stargate saga is coming to an end on Syfy — at least for the time being. Late yesterday the network announced that the upcoming 10 episode of season two of Stargate Universe, which will air in the Spring, will be the last.

The Stargate franchise — consisting of Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe — has aired on Syfy since 2002. This cancellation follows that of another high profile sci-fi show, the Battlestar Galactica prequel Caprica.

All is not lost though as Syfy’s slate of returning series includes Warehouse 13, Eureka and Haven. These shows will be joined next year by new series Being Human, which launches on January 17, Alphas and the Battlestar Galactica prequel movie and de facto backdoor pilot Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome.

While it’s a shame to see Stargate Universe get the axe it is pretty understandable. After all, the show’s rating were pretty low, even for a show on SyFy. So it stands to reason that SyFy decided to pull the plug on what must have been a rather expensive show to produce.

Don’t worry, I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of the Stargate franchise on SyFy. Expect another series at some point.

On SGU Stargate Universe, actor Robert Carlyle plays Nicholas Rush, a Machiavellian-type character who isn’t a quite hero, but isn’t really the villain either. Not necessarily what you would expect to find from an actor who first garnered international attention playing a down on his luck steel worker in The Full Monty. At this year’s Comic-Con, Carlyle discussed his affection for the role of Rush and why he was drawn to it and the franchise as a whole.

“I’ve never played science fiction before.  It wasn’t something I was looking for, so when I spoke to (creators) Robert Cooper and Brad Wright about it, the first thing we discussed was was this guy doesn’t want to come back. My God, let me play that character! That’s a great place for an actor to be in. What’s going on in there?  And it hasn’t disappointed me so far.

“The premise of the show was what drew me in. Most space shows are about something. This is not really about anything. Right now, we don’t know what they’re doing out there. But, by the second season, you definitely do. The whole mission is revealed by the second season and I liked that. I like to keep the audience waiting.”

During a Q&A session for Stargate Universe, actress Ming Na opened up about playing recurring character Camille Wray on the popular Syfy series. The actress was quite candid about her hesitations about taking on the role, advocating for a character that had depth beyond the obvious sex appeal.

“I had a small amount of hesitation because I wasn’t sure how they were going to write the character and what would come out of that particular character choice. But, after speaking with (creators) Robert Cooper and Brad Wright, I felt very comfortable that they were going to really give a great deal of respect and thought and it wasn’t just going to be eye candy with these two girls, you know, getting it on!”

Speaking of which, next season will feature more development between Camille and Sharon, her lover on Earth, and how the two of them handle being apart for so long.

“Yes, it gets a lot more complicated because there has been a lot of stress in their relationship, as with any long distance relationship, and this is a REALLY long distance relationship, you know, there’s a lot more tension built up now, even with a solid relationship like theirs, so it will be interesting.”

Here we are. Day one has officially started and San Diego Comic-Con 2010 is underway. Last night, we were able to get onto the show floor for Preview Night and check out some of this year’s cool attractions and booths.

Last year, we remember some of the cool booths around the Con such as the Stargate booth, Marvel’s infamous Iron Man suit collection, and even the annual WB water tower. This year there is some of the same, but some pretty cool additions as well.

With the amount of popular comic book film and TV franchises, you can expect to see plenty of cool set decorations around the showroom this year. One of our personal favorites is the Odin’s throne, which is about as epic as the film looks to be.

Also seen last night is the cool new lightcycle from the upcoming Tron: Legacy film, a great zombie crime scene from the upcoming Walking Dead adaptation on AMC, and of course our first look at Abin Sur from the upcoming Green Lantern film.

Check out our full gallery from Preview Night after the jump and keep it with us all week for all of your San Diego Comic-Con 2010 coverage.

As we’ve done for the past many weeks we’ve got another preview for tonight’s Stargate Universe and Merlin to bring you today. The shows both air on Syfy, of course, and one, Stargate Universe, is having its season finale tonight as well.

First up on Stargate Universe, the crew of the Destiny faces the Lucian invasion begun in last week’s episode. What will happen and who will survive is anyone’s guess at this point but from the looks of things, this promises to be an exciting episode indeed.

Next up on Merlin, there’s time for everything in Camelot, including love – particularly when Arthur, Guinevere and a visiting princess are looking for it in all the wrong places. I wonder if Merlin will ever get a girl? Tune in tonight to find out.

Check out both previews after the jump and both shows tonight atarting at 9/8C with Stargate Universe followed by Merlin at 10/9C on Syfy.

As we do most Fridays, we’ve got previews for two of Syfy’s shows for you again this week. Both Merlin and Stargate Universe offer action, suspense, romance and drama each week and if you haven’t checked them out yet, you may want to give them a chance.

Starting off with Stargate Universe, the crew is really in trouble this week when their ship, the aptly named Destiny, starts to lose power. If her power fails completely, they could be adrift in space. . . forever. That’s not something you want to happen because, as you know, it’s cold in space and no one can hear you scream. Sorry, that’s from another show. Anyway. . .

Next up on Merlin, the boy wizard must reveal Catrina’s true and evil form before she destroys the kingdom. Jeez, it’s always something with these boy wizards, isn’t it? All the action begins at 9/8C with Stargate Universe followed at 10/9C by Merlin, only on Syfy. Check out both previews after the jump.

With both Stargate Universe and Merlin back on Friday night’s Syfy schedule, we’re going to be able to keep bringing you new preview clips for these shows each and every week. This week is no exception and we’ve got two previews for you this time around, courtesy of Syfy.

Beginning with Stargate Universe, this preview clip features Young and Scott as they search for a tracking device while division in the crew grows. And believe me, having been in space so many times, division is not something you want.

Next up is Merlin. In today’s preview clip Arthur’s entry into a tournament puts more than his life on the line. Seeing as he’s the king, that’s probably not a great idea.  Check out all the action starting with Stargate Universe at 9/8C followed by Merlin at 10/9C on Syfy. Check out the previews after, as always, the jump.

If you’re a fan of Stargate Universe and/or Merlin and have anxiously been awaiting the return of one or both of these shows, you’re in luck because tonight’s the night. Both shows come back to the U.S. airwaves with all new episodes this evening and to help build the excitement for their return, we’ve got previews from both shows to share with you today.

In the first clip, we’re back with the Stargate Universe team and find that things are still pretty much as bad a when we left. They are still on a runaway ship and still have trouble getting along with each other and anyone (or anything) they encounter. With Merlin, the young wizard is back to his old tricks as he tries to grow up and explore his emerging abilities all while attemtping to stear the course of the world towards the light. Not an easy job for a boy wizard — just ask Harry Potter.

Check out both clips of these shows after the jump. Stargate Universe airs tonight at 9/8C on Syfy with Merlin following at 10/9C.

This week marks a pretty big event for the gang over at Smallville as they encounter the Justice Society of America for the first time. Granted, this isn’t the first time other DC superheroes have made it onto the show, with characters like Green Arrow, Aquaman, Black Canary, and others joining in the fray from time to time. With all those characters making appearances in the past, there’s still something even more special about this week’s two-hour episode.

While this season has brought up some interesting plots including Braniac, the Legion, Metallo, and others, this coming event, written by Geoff Johns, seems to take the cake. From Kryptonsite:

A man named Sylvester Pemberton tracks down Chloe (Allison Mack) and tells her he knows about her team of superheroes and needs their help. However, before he can explain who he is, he is attacked and killed by Icicle (guest star Wesley Macinnes). Clark (Tom Welling) and Chloe’s (Allison Mack) investigation leads Clark to the former headquarters of the Justice Society of America where he meets up with Nelson AKA Dr. Fate (guest star Brent Stait), Carter Hall AKA Hawkman (guest star Michael Shanks) and Courtney AKA Star Girl (guest star Britt Irvin).

Courtney pleads with Hawkman and Dr. Fate to help her catch the killer that is targeting their group but they are reluctant to resume their duties as superheroes. Clark, John Jones (guest star Phil Morris), Green Arrow (Justin Hartley) and Chloe team up to help the JSA stop Icicle before he murders another member of the group. Meanwhile, Lois (Erica Durance) receives a package from a mysterious agency called Checkmate, run by Amanda Waller (guest star Pam Grier).

Check out two exclusive clips from Smallville: Absolute Justice and be sure to watch the entire two-hour event this Friday at 8/7 Central on the CW.

We’re fans of many of SyFy’s shows and today, courtesy of the network, we’ve got preview clips for upcoming episodes of some of those favorites. These clips, from Ghost Hunters Academy, Stargate Universe and Sanctuary, should serve to build your anticipation for the complete episode experience.

In these clips we get a taste of the stories from the episodes which include lots of tension, a deadly creature and a murder. Not bad for this week, and its not even sweeps. Be sure to check out the previews after the jump.

Also, be sure to check out each of the new episodes as they air this week on SyFy.

Here’s a list of some of the new movie and TV shows coming to DVD and Blu-ray this week that we’re looking forward to seeing. Also, there’s some classic, and not-so-classic, movies hitting Blu-ray for the first time this week as well.

Of all the new releases, we’re particularly interested in the Blu-ray versions of movies and TV shows such as Battlestar Galactica: The Plan, Night of the Creeps, the original Stargate, The Sam Fuller Collection, Orphan and the complete The Prisoner series starring and created by Patrick McGoohan (pictured above).

Check them out.

Movies

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan ~ Edward James Olmos, Tricia Helfer (DVD and Blu-ray)

42nd Street Forever 5: Alamo Drafthouse Edition ~ Charlton Heston, Robert Englund (DVD)

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs ~ Ray Romano (DVD and Blu-ray)

Into Temptation ~ Kristin Chenoweth, Jeremy Sisto (DVD and Blu-ray)