Friends were ‘really worried’ about Murphy

Here we are again, processing the death of a public person who was privately the object of concern. Officials are still investigating Brittany Murphy’s all-too-soon death.

While there are speculative rumors of the usual Hollywood chemical abuse beginning to circulate, what many people who knew the actress noticed most was her recent severe weight loss.

“She looked painfully thin, even sick. She looked like she hadn’t eaten in who knows how long, her skin was terrible,” said one person who observed Murphy in recent weeks.

Magazine editors who recently saw photos of Murphy agreed, and said her health was a factor in deciding against running pictures from an event she attended in early December.

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Video: Murphy’s death stuns Hollywood “She looked terrible. So thin. We all noticed and commented on it,” said one editor at a prominent celebrity weekly.

“People had been really worried about her for some time now,” said another person who often traveled in the same Hollywood circles as Murphy. “It’s too bad no one was able to say something that would get through to her.”

Live, from New York, it's ... Tiger Woods?
Tiger Woods is expected to stay out of the public eye through the holidays, but the door is open for him to make his first public appearance shortly after the new year — perhaps on “Saturday Night Live.”

“SNL” announced that Woods’ close friend Charles Barkley is going to be the first host of 2010, returning to hosting duties for the first time in more than 16 years. Could Woods appear with him?

A comedy show sounds like a flippant return to the spotlight for the troubled golfer, but sources close to him on tour say not to rule anything out.

“He’s a little incredulous at the way he’s being judged,” said one. “He thinks his golf game should be all people care about. If he went on ‘SNL’ it would definitely change the conversation. And although (going on the show) would seem like a strange choice, it would be hard for something Tiger does to come as a surprise at this point.”

Will Ferrell crashes NYT weddings announcements
Scanning the New York Times wedding announcements for familiar faces is standard Sunday morning practice for some, but Sunday, there was one face recognized by many and expected by almost none: that of Will Ferrell.

Slideshow: Celebrity Sightings The comedian’s head appeared in the background of a photo of newlyweds Jessie Catherine Fuller and Peyton Brodnax DeWitt Rogers. And although it would be kind of funny if this was an act of a cantankerous Times employee, there’s actually an explanation of sorts.

The groom is a production assistant on the movie “The Other Guys,” which stars Ferrell. Congrats to the new couple, and here’s hoping Ferrell doesn’t show up on the honeymoon, too.

Weekend box office
“Avatar” topped this box office this weekend, raking in an estimated $73 million. This makes it the third-highest ranking December release of all time — “Lord of the Rings: Return of the King” and “I Am Legend,” are the only December releases to outperform it.

One interesting item of note: although many critics implore moviegoers to see “Avatar” in its 3-D version, or else risk disappointment, the 2-D option did just fine. According to Box Office Mojo, “Avatar’s” 3-D presentation at 3,452 sites accounted for 58 percent of the gross.

Courtney Hazlett delivers the Scoop Monday through Friday on msnbc.com. Follow Scoop on Twitter @courtneyatmsnbc