Good morning, Broadsheet readers! We hit 20% women on boards before 2020, Katy Tur makes a plea for parental leave, and Hollywood’s Jennifers enter a golden era. Have a terrific Thursday!
EVERYONE'S TALKING
- J-Lo and J-An in bloom. A few days ago, Kristen pointed out the Broadsheet's recent penchant for highlighting women in the second or third or fourth decade of their epic careers. Well, we're continuing the trend.
This time, it's Jennifer Aniston, who says in a New York Times profile, "I’m entering into what I feel is one of the most creatively fulfilling periods of my life. Seriously. I’ve been doing this for 30 years and I feel like it’s just about to really bloom.”
Aniston is returning to television, the medium that shot her to stardom, with The Morning Show, a series that Apple is betting will convince streaming service-fatigued viewers to subscribe to its own platform. Aniston is starring and producing alongside Reese Witherspoon, whom she first met when Witherspoon played her younger sister on Friends; Witherspoon points out that the pair hasn't had the opportunity to work together since because it's rare to have "two very, fully fleshed out female leads in one project."
It's a project—a woman in the workplace dealing with the ramifications of her male colleague's behavior and a younger upstart—Aniston wasn't ready for until now. "I didn’t have the experience," she says of the role that resonates in some ways with her own life.
Speaking of one Jennifer, I'd be remiss if I didn't point you to a heartwarming moment for another. With Hustlers playing at the Toronto International Film Festival, star Jennifer Lopez—who has certainly had overwhelming success but never awards recognition—is hearing some early Oscars talk. "I’ve just been working hard for so long, for my whole life," she said, tearing up in an interview.
A good year for women in Hollywood—but especially for its Jennifers.
Emma Hinchliffe
@_emmahinchliffe
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com
ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
- 20% before 2020. A tiny bit of progress! Women now hold 20% of board seats for Russell 3000 companies, according to Equilar. That's up from 19% the quarter before and up from 15% in 2016. Wall Street Journal
- Sounds great. Much ink has been spilled about how the female presidential candidates are changing our perception of what a political race or debate stage looks like—but what about what it sounds like? Writer Veronica Rueckert examines how the candidates are breaking through that oft-heard sexist complaint about women's voices sounding "shrill" or "emotional." Washington Post
- Plea for parental leave. On her first day back on air after five months of maternity leave, MSNBC host Katy Tur shared her story of an unplanned C-section, her baby losing weight after he was born, her trouble breastfeeding, and the help her husband provided while she recovered. She turned that story into a call to action for lawmakers to address the lack of federal paid family leave for mothers and fathers. Watch here: MSNBC
- Who goes high? The Obamas' production company Higher Ground has already released one of its highly-anticipated projects for Netflix. But it's hit a roadblock: Higher Ground Enterprises, a computer training company that holds a trademark on the name. The Obamas have negotiated with others who hold similar trademarks, but this company's owner, Hanisya Massey, has held out, requesting onscreen roles in the Netflix projects among other demands. New York Times
MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Safra Catz will be the sole CEO of Oracle as co-CEO Mark Hurd takes medical leave. Beth Greve joined GoldieBlox as chief commercial officer; Chopra Global CEO Tonia O’Connor and Waze managing director Suzie Reider joined the company's board of directors. Shannon Schuyler was named chief purpose and inclusion officer of PwC US. Luise Stauss joins The Atlantic as its first director of photography. Publicis Sapient hired Priya Bajoria as SVP, financial services and digital transformation leader. G/O Media named Kai Falkenberg, an alum of Miller Korzenik Sommers Rayman and the New York City Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, general counsel. The Red Sox named Raquel Ferreira, the team's vice president of major and minor league operations, to a committee overseeing baseball operations, making her the highest-ranking women in Major League Baseball. StockX hired Helix's Deena Bahri as CMO.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
- Side effects may include. Loop electrosurgical excisional procedure, or LEEP, is a common gynecological surgical procedure to remove abnormal cells in the cervix. But many patients aren't informed of an also-common side effect: the loss of the ability to orgasm. Cosmopolitan investigated why doctors haven't taken the issue seriously. Cosmopolitan
- Just keep swimming. Seventeen-year-old champion swimmer Brecklynn Willis won a meet on behalf of her high school in Anchorage, Alaska—only to learn she had been disqualified because of a "suit wedgie." The athlete was "curvier" than her competitors and one of few nonwhite athletes to compete in the school-issued swimsuits, prompting coaches to call out both racism and sexism in the now-reversed decision. The Cut
- Not now, witches. U.K. banker Stacey Macken won a gender discrimination case against BNP Paribas, where she found out she was being paid hundreds of thousands of pounds less than a male colleague—and where a coworker once left a witch's hat on her desk. Colleagues would also often quote their boss's frequent refrain, "Not now, Stacey"—his response to her questions. Guardian
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ON MY RADAR
#MeToo killed the myth of male genius Gen
British PM Boris Johnson misled the Queen—and broke the law—when he suspended Parliament, Scottish court rules Fortune
Women's magazines are more progressive than ever—and they're all closing down Guardian
QUOTE
-Actor Olivia Colman in her Vogue cover story
