Producer: ‘Bachelor’ finale wasn’t fixed

New York — Was Jason Mesnick’s change of heart on “The Bachelor” staged for the cameras to capture big ratings? Not so, according to the show’s executive producer.

Mike Fleiss said Wednesday that producers of the ABC dating show did not create the outcome of Monday’s season finale that prompted viewer outrage when Mesnick dumped his first choice for the runner-up and was the highest rated show in its time slot, 7-9 p.m. CST, with 15.45 million viewers.

Mesnick, a 32-year-old single dad from Seattle, proposed to Melissa Rycroft in New Zealand. But in the subsequent “After the Final Rose” special, taped six weeks later, he dumped Rycroft because he still had feelings for runner-up Molly Malaney, after weeks of no contact. He and Malaney are now dating.

Fleiss said producers have “zero” influence in selecting the woman who wins the final rose.

“The great thing about unscripted television is that it’s unpredictable, and that’s what this was,” he said of Mesnick’s decision to let Rycroft go and rekindle his romance with Malaney. “It caught us off guard. It caught the viewers off guard.”

Screenwriter Horton Foote dies at 92

New York — Playwright and screenwriter Horton Foote, who movingly portrayed the broken dreams of common people in “The Trip to Bountiful,” “Tender Mercies” and his Oscar-winning screen adaptation of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” died Wednesday in Connecticut, Paul Marte, a spokesman for Hartford Stage, said. He was 92.

Foote died in his sleep in his apartment in Hartford where he was preparing work on “The Orphans’ Home Cycle,” a collection of nine plays, for next September at the nonprofit theater, Marte said.

Foote left the cotton fields of his native Wharton, Texas, as a teenager, dreaming of becoming an actor. But realizing his gifts as a storyteller, he embarked on a writing career that spanned more than half a century and earned him two Academy Awards (“To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Tender Mercies”) and a 1995 Pulitzer Prize for “The Young Man From Atlanta.”

Chris Brown expected in court today

Los Angeles — Prosecutors say Chris Brown is expected in a Los Angeles court today, despite that they have yet to file charges.

District Attorney’s spokeswoman Jane Robison said Wednesday that Brown is required to appear based on a date scheduled after his Feb. 8 arrest.

The 19-year-old R&B singer was booked on suspicion of making criminal threats after police say a woman identified him as her attacker. A person familiar with the incident but not authorized to speak publicly identified the woman as Brown’s girlfriend, singer Rihanna.

Police presented their case weeks ago, but prosecutors asked for more information. Brown remains free on $50,000 bail. A call placed to his attorney, Mark Geragos, was not returned Wednesday afternoon.

Phil Collins finds new passion in the Alamo

San Antonio — Singer Phil Collins says his new “main thing” is the Alamo.

Collins, who said he has “hundreds” of cannonballs, documents and other artifacts from the Alamo, is in San Antonio this week in conjunction with the anniversary of the March 1836 battle of the Alamo.

The collector and history buff’s most prized item is a receipt signed by Alamo commander William Barret Travis for 32 head of cattle used to feed the Alamo defenders.

“Basically, now I’ve stopped being Phil Collins the singer. This has become what I do,” he said in an online story Tuesday for the San Antonio Express-News.

His interest began in his youth when he saw actor Fess Parker portray Davy Crockett.

The 58-year-old singer, whose hits include “In the Air Tonight” and “One More Night,” said he has passed on his appreciation for the Alamo lore to his five children.

Brad Pitt to meet with Nancy Pelosi

Los Angeles — Mr. Pitt is going to Washington.

Nancy Pelosi’s office says Brad Pitt is set to meet with the Speaker of the House today to discuss the 45-year-old actor’s charity efforts in New Orleans.

Pitt founded “Make It Right” in 2007 to help build environmentally sustainable housing for low-income residents in New Orleans who lost their homes during Hurricane Katrina. He was nominated for a best-actor Oscar for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”

Elizabeth Taylor gives to Christian program

Santa Barbara, Calif. — Elizabeth Taylor has expanded her philanthropy with a $100,000 donation to the Alliance for Christian Education.

The 77-year-old Oscar-winning actress says she was inspired by President Barack Obama’s call for Americans to “reach across the aisle” of political and ideological divide.

For decades, Taylor’s philanthropy has focused on HIV/AIDS.

In a statement, Taylor — who is Jewish — says she chose to underwrite the Christian-initiated education effort “because our new president challenged us to break down barriers that divide us.”

The donation to the Santa Barbara, Calif.-based organization will help fund the alliance’s pilot program for global outreach and the Providence Hall Christian high school.