the buzz log

Reality hit the Buzz this weekend: The octuplets' mom will have a hard time spinning the resignation of her publicist; hope of a quick end to the recession looks more and more like a pipe dream; and the spurned "Bachelor" contestant gets another shot at stardom — now that's "reality" we can fantasize about! Just some of the more popular stories on this weekend's Buzz ...

Octopublicist quits
She recently gave birth to eight kids, so maybe she'll end up having an equal number of PR flacks. Victor Munoz, the latest rep for octuplets mom Nadya Suleman, has told Usmagazine.com that he's resigned. And while no one's exactly accused Suleman of good judgment lately, she can probably do better than a publicist who offers up these choice quotes along with news of his resignation: "It's pretty much a free-for-all over there right now. They are freaking out ... Nadya got real greedy. This woman is nuts." Munoz is the second publicist to leave the octo-nest; an earlier rep quit after her firm received a slew of hate mail.

Reality rebound
Spurned "Bachelor" star Melissa Rycroft was the No. 1 search in Buzz much of Sunday, due to news of her joining the season eight cast of "Dancing With the Stars." Rycroft, as even some extraterrestrials know by now, was dumped by Jason Mesnick, who had proposed to her as the winner of the ABC reality show "The Bachelor." Mesnick cooled on Melissa in favor of the show's runner-up, Molly Malaney. Which just goes to show how hard it is to have a relationship on national TV these days. Since Melissa didn't find true love on her last reality gig, we hope she'll at least be able to out-foxtrot former linebacker Lawrence Taylor or waltz better than Steve-O from "Jackass."  

Recession depression
Not only is it not a good time to have 14 kids, it's rough going looking for a job, being invested in the stock market, or selling a home. And it has been for some time. An AP article with the headline "Recession on Track to Be Longest in Postwar Period" drew a lot of clicks on Sunday. When the current downturn extrends into April, it will officially be the longest slump since the Great Depression, surpassing the 16-month recessions of 1981-82 and 1973-75. "This recession is broader, deeper and more complicated than virtually anything we have ever seen," says one economist quoted in the article. "It's like trying to unscramble scrambled eggs. It just can't be done that easily."

Also buzzing this weekend ...

• Sports: UFC 96 results and Terrell Owens signs with the Bills.
• The much-anticipated movie "Watchmen" opened at No. 1, but at the low end of anticipated sales.
• It may be later than you think. If you haven't done so already ... set your clocks ahead!