Imax Names Jen Wong and Gail Berman to Board of Directors

The “Mean Girls” musical has cast “Mad Men” star Jon Hamm as Coach Carr. The Emmy-winning actor and star of “Confess, Fletch” and “Beirut” will play the school’s gym teacher and sex-ed instructor.

16th Annual WIF (Women in Film) Oscar PartyNeueHouse Hollywood, HollywoodHollywood’s women joined hands in solidarity by kicking off Oscar weekend at the 16th Annual WIF (Women in Film) Oscar party, celebrating the 65 women nominated for Academy Awards for their work in 2002.Solidarity is still needed, as the dismal recent studies that show women received only 27% of the possible non-acting nominations, despite being nearly 50% of the worldwide population. That fact was part of the night’s conversation, including last year’s Oscar-winning screenwriter Sian Heder (“Coda”), who told the collected crowd that, “There’s a kind of camaraderie with women filmmakers right now.

joined Imax Entertainment in 2019 from Paramount, where she was the head of global marketing and distribution. A graduate of Harvard, Colligan’s past work also includes a start at Miramax and a vice president position at Searchlight Pictures.At Imax, Colligan oversaw the launch of the company’s “Filmed for Imax” program to bring in new filmmakers to shoot on cameras designed for the premium format.

IMAX Entertainment President, Megan Colligan is stepping down per a note just dropped to staff from Imax CEO Rich Gelfond.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Veteran Hollywood executive Megan Colligan is resigning her post as president of Imax Entertainment. The announcement was made Thursday in an internal memo circulated by Imax CEO Rich Gelfond. Gelfond said Colligan “decided to move on from IMAX. Megan will stay with the company through the end of April — helping see us through a busy period that includes our annual CEO Forum, CinemaCon, and our first quarter earnings report — while we complete a search for her replacement,” per the memo obtained by Variety. Colligan joined Imax in 2019. She previously served as global head of marketing and distribution at Paramount Pictures.

Cinemark Theatres, announced in January. An Imax representative could not be immediately reached for more details.Imax reported last month that it was once again profitable during the fourth quarter, thanks in large part to mega-hits “Avatar: the Way of Water” and Disney’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Its success drawing key audiences had helped cement its role in the success of blockbusters.

Best Picture “All Quiet on the Western Front” — Malte Grunert, producer “Avatar: The Way of Water” — James Cameron and Jon Landau, producers

A column chronicling conversations and events on the awards circuit.

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor Cate Blanchett wore gold sequins and “Elvis” filmmaker Baz Luhrmann directed a group photo shoot at the Australian Oscars Nominees Reception held Thursday night in Hollywood at the Chateau Marmont penthouse. The guest list also included Oscar nominees from “Elvis,” including Luhrmann, DP Mandy Walker, costume designer Catherine Martin and producers Gail Berman, Schuyler Weiss and Patrick McCormick. Also joining in the festivities was filmmaker Lachlan Pendragon, director of “An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It,” which is nominated for best animated short film. The event was hosted by Australian Consul-General Los Angeles Ambassador Jane Duke, Ausfilm, Screen Australia and Australians in Film (AiF) 

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Nominations for the 2023 CMT Music Awards are led by country’s woman of the moment, Lainey Wilson, with four, followed by three apiece for Cody Johnson, newcomer Jelly Roll and the show’s recurring co-host, Kane Brown. For the second year in a row, the three-hour telecast will be getting its premiere network airing on CMT’s big sister network, CBS — along with a livestream on Paramount+ — and for the first time, it will be based out of Austin. The show goes out live from the Moody Center April 2 at 8 p.m. ET on the broadcast network and airs tape-delayed in the same time slot on the west coast. Several days after the broadcast and streaming premiere, the show will appear on its titular network, CMT, as an “extended cut” with 30 minutes of additional material, bringing the running time there to three and a half hours. That expanded edition bows on CMT April 6 at 8 ET/PT.

CMT Music Awards will have plenty of familiar faces — and a whole lot of new ones. Lainey Wilson leads the charge with four noms, including Performance of the Year and Female Video of the Year. Tied with three nominees apiece are first-time nominee Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, and CMT Music Awards co-host Kane Brown.Across all categories, CMT is recognizing 21 first-time nominees.Meanwhile, the first round of nominations for the highly coveted Video of the Year award has 16 acts, including another nod for Carrie Underwood, who reigns as the most awarded artist in CMT history with a total of 25 wins.

Imax is adding two heavy hitters to its board, naming longtime entertainment executive Gail Berman and Reddit chief operating officer Jen Wong as directors.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Longtime entertainment and media executives Gail Berman and Jen Wong have joined Imax’s board of directors. “As we continue to diversify and grow the Imax business across platforms and around the world, we continue to bring new expertise onto our board and both Gail and Jen have deep, proven experience across the media and entertainment landscape,” said Rich Gelfond, CEO of Imax.  Berman currently serves as chair and chief executive officer of production company the Jackal Group. Wong is Reddit’s chief operating officer and has previously led digital sales and strategy at PopSugar, AOL and Time Inc.

she won the AACTA (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts) for the film, the first time a woman had ever won for cinematography in film at the “Australian Oscars.” In her speech, Walker emphasized that she hoped her win served to open the door for many more women in the camera department. During a lively conversation for TheWrap Screening Series of “Elvis,” Walker was joined by producer-costume designer-production designer Catherine Martin and producer Gail Berman to discuss the hard work, craft, grit (and “girl power”) that went into making the dynamic, colorful biopic. In speaking about the gender disparity in her field, Walker pointed out Luhrmann deserves credit for hiring her to lens a feature film in the first place, 15 years ago.

When one thinks of women and Elvis Presley, it’s either his widow Priscilla, his late daughter Lisa Marie, or the legion of ladies left weak in the knee when the badass kid from Tupelo, Mississippi began shaking that moneymaker. In the case of the eight-time Oscar-nominated film Elvis, the front men are writer/director Baz Luhrmann, Austin Butler and Tom Hanks. Behind the camera, the film was entirely made possible by a chorus of women, many of whom are nominated. They include Luhrmann’s partner Catherine Martin, who’s up for the Production Design Oscar with cohorts Beverley Dunne and Karen Murphy; Mandy Walker, for Cinematography; Gail Berman for Best Picture with Martin, Luhrmann, Patrick McCormick and Schuyler Weiss; and Martin again for Costume Design.

Emily Longeretta With “When Calls the Heart” at Hallmark and “When Hope Calls” at Great American Family, Brian Bird is expanding his success with a partnership with UPtv. True Brand Entertainment, founded by Bird, Brandon Clark, Tai Truesdell and Darin Chavez, and the network have a multi-picture licensing agreement, creating a series of uplifting and values-friendly romantic comedies. The partnership began with “The Engagement Plot,” starring Trevor Donovan and Rachel Boston, which debuted in summer 2022 to record-breaking ratings for UPtv and its streaming service, UP Faith & Family. “The Happy Camper,” starring real-life married couple Daniela Bobadilla and Beau Wirick, premiered to strong ratings on February 5.

Imax chief executive Rich Gelfond said blockbuster titles will probably be back on Imax screens later this year, as per Top Gun: Maverick last year and, more recently, Titanic’s 25th anniversary re-release.

Imax said today it expects return to pre-pandemic gross box office level of $1.1 billion in 2023.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Film Independent has partnered with the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts to present a live reading of “Triangle of Sadness.” Oscar-nominated director Ruben Östlund will helm the reimagined and recast stage reading at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts’ Bram Goldsmith Theater on Feb. 27. The cast will be led by Fred Armisen, Nicholas Braun, Alison Brie, Tia Carrere, Ayo Edebiri, Jordan Firstman, Brett Goldstein and Kumail Nanjiani. “What a joy to do a table read with this group of fine actors. Together we are planning for some surprises. I don’t want to scare anyone off, but there will be some risk involved in attending this,” said Östlund.

Thania Garcia Chuck Jackson, a vocalist of the doo-wop group Del-Vikings and the singer in Burt Bacharach and Bob Hilliard’s “Any Day Now,” died on Feb. 16 in Atlanta. He was 85. News of his passing was confirmed in a Facebook post by Ady Croasdell of Ace Records’ Kent Records division, a UK label that had been reissuing his recordings. No cause of death was given. “There are confirmed reports that one of the very greatest soul singers of all time, Chuck Jackson, died on February 16th,” Croasdell wrote. “His 60s and 70s recordings are hugely important works, revered as much now as on release…His passing will be deeply felt around the world.”