Phyllis George, former Miss America, later a co-host of 'NFL Today,' dead at 70

Check out what's clicking today in entertainment.Phyllis George, the former Miss America who became a female sportscasting pioneer on CBS's “The NFL Today” and served as the first lady of Kentucky, has died. She was 70.A family spokeswoman said George died Thursday at a Lexington, Kentucky, hospital after a long fight with a blood disorder.Her children, Lincoln Tyler George Brown and CNN White House correspondent Pamela Ashley Brown, released a joint statement, saying:“For many, Mom was known by her incredible accomplishments as the pioneering female sportscaster, 50th Miss America and first lady. George even acknowledged knowing nothing about the industry and having no experience nor another female mentor to follow.None of it stopped her.George was a friend of minister Norman Vincent Peale and a devout believer in his best-selling philosophy of positive thinking, George credits that approach for launching a defining career she didn’t expect — one that saw her range into an astonishing variety of ventures and roles, in media, the film industry, food and beauty products, and as the glamorous first lady of the bluegrass state.“Saying yes to yourself opens up opportunities that can take you anywhere,” George wrote. “And someone has to be first, and that was Phyllis.”Neal Pilson, a former president of CBS Sports, called George’s hiring as part of “The NFL Today” team a “groundbreaking decision” that “changed the face of sports television.”“She had an openness and enthusiasm that made her a valuable contributor,” Pilson said. She was a warm person and that came through on the set and in the interviews.”George conducted one-on-one interviews with star athletes such as NFL greats Joe Namath and Roger Staubach.“People were uncomfortable with the idea of seeing a woman on TV talking about sports in a prominent role,” Storm said.