Spin Cycle: Big Brother, zombies and java

The Turkish military just performed a daring rescue, freeing nine women who had moved into an Istanbul mansion, thinking they were joining a "Big Brother"-type reality show. Instead, they became prisoners, their every move filmed and streamed live on the Internet for two straight months. As of last Thursday, the not-quite contestants are safely home with their families.

No word on how soon the Turkish military can rescue Julie and Jordan from "Big Brother: Season 11," but we suspect these heroes may have been behind Paula Abdul's escape from "American Idol."

Laboring

Meanwhile in other reality TV news, MTV hosted a holiday weekend marathon of its new series, "16 and Pregnant," earlier this month. And yes, we'll wait here quietly till you recall which holiday that was. Yep, it was a Labor Day salute to teen pregnancy. We can't wait till Thanksgiving.

Zombie rights

We hear that filmmaker George A. Romero — perhaps best known for his seminal work, "Night of the Living Dead," although his oeuvre includes several subsequent zombie flicks — believes his latest film will help advance his favorite cause, anti-discrimination. We're not sure which flavor of discrimination Romero is targeting in "Survival of the Dead,"

but the plot involves soldiers Patrick O'Flynn and Shamus Muldoon and their platoon escaping to a tropical island, the last safe outpost on a planet overrun by the undead.

We suspect Romero is standing up for zombie rights, but the better cause might be the protection of actors from stereotypical Irish names.

Cuppa Joe, mate?

Remind us not to get sick in Australia. Doctors at Queensland hospitals are so exhausted by their 80-hour shifts, they're making mistakes and, according to a government document on fatigue management, patients are dying. The solution? More java. Actually, the official recommendation was six cups of coffee. Per doctor.

We're not sure what scares us more, sleep-deprived physicians or surgeons with really shaky hands. Perhaps those Turkish military police could rescue the docs too. Or at least their patients.