LOS ANGELES — A woman from Florida pleaded not guilty Wednesday to the attempted murder of Rihanna.

Ivanna Lisette Ortiz, of Orlando, also pleaded not guilty through her attorney to more than a dozen other felony counts in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Prosecutors allege the singing superstar, her hip-hop star partner A$AP Rocky and their three young children were among the people assaulted at their home in the Beverly Hills area on March 8 when Ortiz, 35, pulled up to the property and sprayed about 20 bullets from an AR-15 style rifle into the tall exterior wall.

Ortiz is charged with 10 counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and three counts of shooting at an occupied vehicle or dwelling. She could get life in prison if convicted on all charges.

Her lawyer, Deputy Public Defender Derek Ray Dillman, entered the plea on her behalf as Ortiz appeared behind glass in a custody area, wearing yellow jail clothes with her blond hair in braids. She spoke only to agree to waive her right to a speedy preliminary hearing, the next phase of the case where evidence is presented to determine whether a trial is warranted.

Her lawyer asked that her bail be reduced from $1.9 million to $70,000 based on her ability to pay. Judge Theresa McGonigle declined the request and kept the bail the same.

The prosecutor, arguing against the reduction, said she's a major risk to the community and would likely flee.

“This case involves a dangerous, deliberate shooting into occupied homes,” Deputy District Attorney Alexander Bott said. “This is the kind of conduct that could easily have resulted in multiple homicides.”

When Ortiz was arrested hours after the shooting, she was alone in her car with the rifle, more rounds and a wig she intended to use as a disguise, Bott said.

Public records show Ortiz has been a licensed speech pathologist for more than a decade. McGonigle ruled at the state attorney general's request that she should be prevented from practicing in California.

Neither side spoke to reporters outside the courthouse.

An email to Dillman seeking comment was not immediately answered.

District Attorney Nathan Hochman said when Ortiz was charged that Rihanna and Rocky were together in an Airstream trailer at the time of the shooting, while her mother, their children and staffers were in the main house.

The three counts of firing at a dwelling were for Rihanna’s house, her trailer, and a neighbor’s house, prosecutors said. The 10 assault counts were for Rihanna and family, two staffers and two people in the neighboring house.

Hochman would not say where any of the bullets landed, discuss a motive or describe any connection between Ortiz and Rihanna, saying all were under investigation. He also said his office was investigating social media posts from Ortiz from the days leading up to the gunfire.

A nine-time Grammy Award winner, Rihanna has 14 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including “We Found Love,” “Work,” “Umbrella” and “Disturbia.” She founded the makeup brand Fenty Beauty in 2017.

She and A$AP Rocky announced the birth of their third child, a girl named Rocki Irish Mayers, in September.

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NEW YORK — Savannah Guthrie is returning to the “Today” show this week in a two-part interview with co-host Hoda Kotb about the disappearance of her mother, Nancy.

In a preview of the interview, aired during Wednesday morning’s broadcast, Guthrie can be seen becoming visibly emotional as she opens up about the “agony” she and her family has experienced in the more than 50 days since Nancy was apparently taken from her home in Tucson, Ariz.

“Someone needs to do the right thing,” a tearful Guthrie says.

“We are in agony. It is unbearable. And to think of what she went through,” Guthrie tells Kotb in the emotional clip. “I wake up every night in the middle of the night — every night. And in the darkness, I imagine her terror, and it is unthinkable — but those thoughts demand to be thought, and I will not hide my face. But she needs to come home now.”

Back at the desk, Kotb said the interview, set to air Thursday and Friday, will focus on the investigation into Nancy’s disappearance as well as Savannah Guthrie’s “faith” and “how she’s getting through.”

Nancy was last seen alive the night of Jan. 31, after having dinner with her other daughter, Annie, and Annie’s husband, Tommaso Cioni. The couple said they dropped her off at home sometime between 9 and 9:30 p.m., and the Guthrie matriarch was reported missing the following day around noon, after she failed to show up for church as she usually does.

Nancy, who is 84 years old, is barely mobile, and she suffers from a heart condition.

A subsequent search of her residence turned up Nancy’s blood in the doorway. All of her personal belongings — including her wallet, cellphone and car — remained on the scene. Authorities have had few other breaks in the case outside doorbell camera video they believe shows a possible suspect.

The FBI Phoenix office has described this person as “a male, about 5’9 — 5’10, with an average build.” He is also wearing a black, 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack in the clip.

Guthrie last appeared on the “Today” show on Jan. 30, just two days before her mother was reported missing. She has previously said she will return to her hosting duties, but when exactly is still unclear.

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NEW YORK — Stephen Colbert, famous devotee to J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth, is co-writing a “Lord of the Rings” movie with his son.

Warner Bros. announced early Wednesday that Colbert will script “The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past” along with series veteran Philippa Boyens and Peter McGee, Colbert's son. Producer Peter Jackson revealed Colbert’s involvement in a social media video that introduced a “very special partner” on the film.

“It took me a few years to scrape my courage into a pile to give you a call, but about two years ago I did,” Colbert told Jackson. “You liked it enough to talk to me about it, and ever since then, the two of us have been working with the brilliant Philippa Boyens on how to develop this story.”

“Shadow of the Past” will come after Andy Serkis’ upcoming “The Hunt of Gollum,” which is set to arrive in theaters next year.

Colbert said that a few years ago, while talking with his son, he thought of a potential framing device for the film, which follows a new adventure for Sam, Merry and Pippin 14 years after the passing of Frodo.

“You know what the books mean to me, and what your films mean to me,” Colbert said. “But the thing I found myself reading over and over again were the six chapters early on in (‘The Fellowship of the Ring’) that y’all never developed into the first movie back in the day.”

“I thought: ‘Oh, wait, maybe that could be its own story that could fit into the larger story. Could we make something that was completely faithful to the books while also being completely faithful to the movies that you guys had already made?’” added Colbert.

Colbert’s “The Late Show” on CBS is to air its last episode on May 21 after the network announced it was canceling the late night show last July.

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From combined wire services