The wide-mouthed comedy tragedy masks have long been a symbol of the theater. They were designed to represent the two sides of the god Dionysus, as well as the two sides of wine – unbridled joy and bottomless despair.

Those masks are the perfect emblem for this past week’s Primeval episode which began with a bit of slapstick comedy and ended in the ultimate tragedy.

Beware! There be spoilers ahead!

We start off this week with threats from three directions. First we have Helen and her army of Cleaner clones. Perched high on a roof top, Helen orders one of them to jump to his death. Though he hesitates for a moment he eventually follows orders showing us how really cold blooded Helen has become. (I like that about her.)

Read More - Primeval 3.3: The Two Sides of Dionysus

This past weekend, Supernatural fans rolled into the top ten trending topics on Twitter with their live coverage of the Asylum con in the UK. Using the tag #asylm (no U because the proper spelling caused too many unrelated items to fall into the search results) a hand-full of tweeters kept the fandom informed of who said what, to whom and where. Fans all over the world logged in all through the night in order to get the latest updates and it created a party atmosphere that is sure to become a convention must from now on in.

Missed all the fun? You can still check out the #aslym tag, but I’d recommend checking out Supernatural Wiki for more comprehenisve reports.

For a real treat, check out Misha Collins on Twitter and be prepared to be both amused, scared and confused. This really is Misha and that fact has been verified by a number of good sources including the CW publicity head and Misha himself at the con.

Here’s a typical Misha post as he headed out to the con:

Read More - Supernatural Trends on Twitter

Turner Classic Movies has posted a list of the 15 Most Overlooked Classic Directors in movie history. Incredibly, only one, Jack Arnold, worked in the sci fi genre, but I will admit, he’s a good pick.

Jack Arnold is the man who made Creature From the Black Lagoon the classic that it is today. Atmospheric and creepy, Arnold delivered a story that made you believe that a gill man could fall in love.

Arnold also directed Tarantula, one of the best of the giant bug films, as well as The Incredible Shrinking Man. Later in his career, Arnold became a well-respected TV director on shows such as It Takes a Thief, Alias Smith and Jones and Brady Bunch, and he was one of the guiding forces behind Gilligan’s Island.

Jack Arnold, we salute you!

Now it’s your turn. Who do you think belongs on the list of Most Overlooked Classic Directors?

Photo: Amazon

On July 20th, BBC America will launch their new HD Channel with the premiere of Torchwood: Children of Earth. If you thought Torchwood looked great before, you won’t believe the scope of this new mini-series when shown in High Def.

The downside? We’re only getting five nights of Captain Jack and the gang this year and that pains me so.

This time around Captain Jack (John Barrowman), Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) and Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd) are still coming to terms with the death of two of their closest friends when they are forced to face their fiercest threat to date - one which throws the future of Torchwood and the entire human race spiraling into danger.

On July 28, a day after the run ends on BBC America, the DVD will be released in stores in both a standard and Blu-Ray edition.  This is also the release date for the second season DVD and it’s no coincidence that it all hits just after Comic Con where they say they’ll be making a big splash.

Can’t wait for July? Visit the BBC America site HERE for the new trailer.

BBC America HD: Torchwood: Children of Earth (l to r) Captain Jack (John Barrowman), Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) and Ianto (Gareth David-Lloyd)

Photo Credit: BBC

If you’re a frequent visitor here at SFUniverse, you’ll notice we’ve undergone a little change. We have a terrific new logo and a spiffy new layout and I hope you like it. We’re still working out a few of the bugs, so hang in there, and my apologies to the 12 of you who left great comments that didn’t show up until just now. I appreciate everyone’s participation and we should be back on track as of right now!

Thanks for being part of the SFUniverse community.

Battlestar Galactica and Caprica composer Bear McCreary will be celebrating the release of the new Caprica Soundtrack CD with two live concerts in the Los Angeles area.

First, on June 13, McCreary will conduct the music from Battlestar Galactica to kick-off the 2009 Grand Performances Series at California Plaza. It’s a free concert in downtown Los Angeles so all you have to do is show up and enjoy. Not going to be in the area? Then mark your calendar for June 16. That’s the day La-La Land Records will release the soundtrack for Caprica on CD.

Next, on July 23-25, McCreary will be performing at the House of Blues in San Diego just for all you Comic-Con fans. That concert will celebrate the July 21 release of a special 2-CD set, Battlestar Galactica: Season 4. The first disc features music from seasons 4.0 and 4.5, with the music from “Daybreak”, the stunning series finale, featured on the second disc.

Two concerts and two new CDs. It’s music that will inspire you. Get more information or order your CDs at the La-La Land Records website.

CD cover: La-La Land Records

It’s going to be an all-star scifi summer on SCI FI Channel when some of your favorite stars pop up on the new dramedy adventure Warehouse 13.

Top of the list, Stargate Atlantis’ Joe Flanigan, Tricia Helfer from Battlestar Galactica, and one of my personal faves, James Naughton who starred in the Planet of the Apes TV series, but is more commonly known for his role on Gossip Girl.

Warehouse 13 is the story of two Secret Service agents who are assigned to guard a massive, top-secret storage facility in windswept South Dakota which houses every strange artifact, mysterious relic, fantastical object and supernatural souvenir ever collected by the U.S. government. The Warehouse’s caretaker Artie (Saul Rubinek) charges Pete (Eddie McClintock) and Myka (Joanna Kelly) with chasing down reports of supernatural and paranormal activity in search of new objects to cache at the Warehouse, as well as helping him to control the warehouse itself.

Guest Stars Include:

Read More - Flanigan, Helfer Guest on Warehouse 13

We’ve had a bit of a break, but BBC America is about to get its Who on again with the acquisition of five new specials. The deal includes the four 2009 specials; the final episodes of the tenth Doctor as played by David Tennant. The first of the specials, Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead will premiere in July. As a London red bus takes a detour to an alien world it forces the Doctor (Tennant) to work with the extraordinary Lady Christina (Michelle Ryan, Bionic Woman). But the mysterious planet holds terrifying secrets hidden in the sand and time is running out as the deadly Swarm gets closer.

Read More - Doctor Who Specials to Air in US

“Just hired Javier Grillo-Marxuach, Erik Oleson, and Angela Kang as writers on DAY ONE! More announcements soon!”

– Jesse Alexander via Twitter

Day One is NBC’s new apocalyptal aftermath series helmed by Heroes and Lost producer Jesse Alexander.

The story follows a band of eclectic neighbors from the same apartment building in Los Angeles who are forced to ban together in order to survive. Now they’ve got some hefty talent backing them up in the form of Javier Grillo-Marxuach (seen here with his friends from Lost) the creative genius behind the underrated Middleman series along with Erik Oleson from E-Ring and The Agency. Sounds like this show’s survival chances just went up a notch.

And speaking of The Middleman, Grillo-Marxuach announced on his blog that the DVD would be ready for release sometime this summer. If you’re a fan, and you really should be, check out the Shout! Factory website for the evolution of the DVD cover art. It’s all good stuff.

Photo: William Mapother, Mira Furlan, Jorge Garcia and Javier Grillo-Marxuach attend the Official “Lost” Fan Convention held at the Burbank Airport Hilton and Towers in Burbank, California on June 11, 2005 (Pictured:William Mapother, Mira Furlan, Jorge Garcia, Javier Grillo-Marxuach). Photo By Baxter/ABACA.

Source: Newscom

Ever since those Winchester boys opened the gates of hell, it’s been a paranormal paradise here on Earth. And who do people call when they’ve got spirit problems? Ghostbusters, of course. Trouble is, there’s simply too much work for the guys to handle alone so they’ve decided to hire on some extra help. That’s where you come in.

The Ghostbusters are hiring and they’ve set up a new website where they’re taking applications. It’s called, (appropriately) GhostbustersIsHiring.com. Egon Spengler is still putting the finishing touches on the site, but when it’s done you’ll be able to upload your own ghostbusting photos and videos. The best Ghostbusters applicants will appear on the Blu-Ray Live special feature on the new Ghostbusters Blu-Ray DVD. And one lucky applicant will win a trip to Comic-Con – a place that is simply overflowing with the creepy, the spooky and the ookey!

Who you gonna call? Win this contest and the answer could be YOU!

Photo: Amazon