The Avengers sequel planned for May 2015

Plus, Zoe Saldana to play Nina Simone in biopic, and the Obamas talk about their friendship with George Clooney.

Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man, left, and Chris Evans as Captain America, in a scene from The Avengers. AP Photo

The Avengers sequel planned for May 2015

The Avengers will return for a sequel on May 1, 2015, Disney announced. Joss Whedon will be back to write and direct. There will be plenty of Marvel action building up to The Avengers follow-up: Robert Downey's Iron Man 3 is due out in May next year, followed by Chris Hemsworth's Thor sequel in November and the Captain America sequel in April 2014.

Zoe Saldana to play Nina Simone in biopic

Zoe Saldana has signed on to play the title role in a Nina Simone biopic by Cynthia Mort, the writer of the 2007 Jodie Foster thriller The Brave One. The film will focus on Simone's rise as a singer-songwriter in the 1950s, and how she became involved in the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Mary J Blige was previously shortlisted for the role. David Oyelowo (The Help, The Last King of Scotland) will co-star as Simone's manager. Production begins in October.

The Obamas talk about their friendship with Clooney

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, the US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle opened up about their relationship with George Clooney. "He is a good man and a good friend," Obama said. "He's very protective about not bothering me, sensitive to the fact that if he's around a lot, then somehow it'll be tagged as 'Obama hanging out with Hollywood stars'." Michelle Obama said of Clooney: "He's cute, too." She joked that she happens to be "busy" whenever her husband schedules meetings with the actor, quipping that it's a "conspiracy". The president also joked that his staff always seems to find a reason to start "circling around my office whenever Clooney visits the White House". - AP

Lady Gaga teams up with Kendrick Lamar

Lady Gaga has announced she's a collaborator on the newcomer hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar's forthcoming album. "I'm so excited to announce that a record I've been working on has now become a collaboration for his album," Gaga posted on Twitter. "I wrote Partynauseous about my relationship with Jakarta. Wishing I could make peace with the enemy." Gaga was forced to cancel a June concert in Indonesia after groups protested against her suggestive act.