Critics hail Amour as best of film 2012

Plus: Josh Brolin arrested in Los Angeles; Sarah Michelle Gellar eyes TV comedy; new albums from The Weeknd and Vampire Weekend; Hunger Games most-anticipated in 2013.

The National Society of Film Critics has named Amour the Best Picture of 2012 and its star Emmanuelle Riva as Best Actress. Bloomberg

The National Society of Film Critics selected Amour as the Best Picture of 2012 during its annual meeting on Saturday. The critics chose the star of Amour, Emmanuelle Riva, as Best Actress. The movie's Austrian filmmaker, Michael Haneke, won Best Director. Daniel Day-Lewis was chosen as Best Actor for Lincoln, which also won for Best Screenplay. Amy Adams was awarded Best Supporting Actress for The Master, and Matthew McConaughey was selected Best Supporting Actor for his performances in Magic Mike and Bernie. - AP

Josh Brolin arrested in Los Angeles

Josh Brolin was arrested on Wednesday after police found him heavily intoxicated on a pavement in Santa Monica, California, police confirmed on Saturday. The 44-year-old actor was held in custody on a misdemeanour public intoxication charge and released. No further action is being sought, said the police. Brolin stars in the new film Gangster Squad opposite Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone and Sean Penn. - IANS

Hunger Games sequel is most-anticipated film for 2013

The sequels The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug top the must-see lists of cinemagoers for 2013, according to a survey by the US ticket-seller Fandango. Catching Fire is scheduled for a November release, while The Hobbit is scheduled for December. Iron Man 3, scheduled for a May release, ranked third on the list. Star Trek Into Darkness and The Great Gatsby rounded out the top five. - Reuters

New albums from The Weeknd, Vampire Weekend

The Ethiopian Canadian R&B singer The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye), who released three hit mixtapes in 2011, announced he is releasing a new album this year. Tesfaye posted on Twitter a screenshot of his computer's desktop, showing a folder named "2013 untitled album". Meanwhile, the American indie rock band Vampire Weekend told Q Magazine they're releasing an album this spring. The band recently performed a new song, Unbelievers, on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Their last record was the critically acclaimed Contra in 2010. - The National staff

Sarah Michelle Gellar eyes TV comedy

The Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Ringer actress Sarah Michelle Gellar is reportedly considering headlining a family sitcom in development at 20th Century Fox TV. Gellar would play a wife who finds ways to amuse herself once her children go off to school. The series is created by Shepard Boucher of Men at Work fame. It would be Gellar's second comedic outing since the failure of her 2009 HBO pilot The Wonderful Maladys. - IANS