Perry loses key SC backer after attack on Romney

BLYTHEWOOD, S.C. (AP) — Presidential candidate Rick Perry's criticism of Mitt Romney's business past had a boomerang effect Thursday, costing him the support of a prominent Republican in South Carolina.

Investment fund executive and top GOP donor Barry Wynn told The Associated Press he was leaving the Perry fold to endorse Romney, the former Massachusetts governor. Wynn said Perry's attacks on Romney's time at the helm of the private equity firm Bain Capital had crossed the line in a political party that values free-market capitalism.

"I've been fighting for this cause most of my life," Wynn said. "It's like fingernails on the chalkboard. It just kind of irritated you to hear those kind of attacks."

Perry, the Texas governor, swung hard this week at Romney's work at Bain Capital. The firm sometimes turned big profits even as companies it invested in went under, including some in South Carolina, and people lost jobs. Perry called Romney a "vulture capitalist" who put profits ahead of jobs.

By late Wednesday, Perry had backed away from the attack line and didn't mention in during remarks to crowds at campaign stops.

Perry is desperate for a strong showing in South Carolina, where the primary is Jan. 21, to keep his presidential hopes alive. He finished near the bottom of the pack in the voting in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Katon Dawson, a top Perry adviser in South Carolina, tried to minimize the effect of Wynn's decision.

"It's unfortunate and disappointing. But at the end of the day we are marching on," Dawson said. "It won't have any impact. The only impact it will have is on the media trying to report it."

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APNewsBreak: Russell Brand, Katy Perry to divorce

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Russell Brand is divorcing Katy Perry after 14 months of what appeared to be a storybook marriage.

"Sadly, Katy and I are ending our marriage," Brand said in a statement released to The Associated Press on Friday. "I'll always adore her and I know we'll remain friends."

Brand, 36, offered no other details, but in papers filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, the British comedian cited irreconcilable differences.

He and the 27-year-old pop singer were married in October 2010 at a resort inside a tiger reserve in India, and their mutual affection had become a rather sweet feature of the Hollywood celebrity circuit.

The couple announced their engagement in January 2010 after meeting at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, where Brand hosted and she performed.

The comedian, who once struggled with substance abuse and sex addiction, was effusive about his bride while promoting projects earlier this year, saying marrying Perry has "given me much more strength in what I do."

"For a long while, what I do professionally was all that mattered to me really," he said in March. "Now I think, well, whatever I do, I'll just go back to her, and that's incredibly comforting."

Perry praised her husband backstage at the 2011 VMAs in August, where she won three awards and he offered a tribute to Amy Winehouse.

"I'm proud of him, whatever comes out of his mouth, and sometimes it's very colorful, right?" Perry said of Brand. "That's why I married him, because he's smart and I learn a lot."

Attorneys for Perry, whose name is listed as Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson in the divorce papers, did not respond Friday to calls seeking comment.

The Internet had been abuzz recently with rumors about possible trouble for the couple after they were seen during the holidays without their wedding rings.

Perry's run of No. 1 singles earned her the distinction of becoming MTV's first artist of the year earlier this month. She hosted "Saturday Night Live" on Dec. 10 and gave no indication the couple was in trouble.

Brand's recent film credits include "Arthur," ''Hop" and "Get Him to the Greek." He is among the ensemble starring alongside Tom Cruise in "Rock of Ages," set for release next year.

Both Brand and Perry were conspicuously absent Friday from Twitter, where they often shared kind words to each other.

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AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen can be reached at www.twitter.com/APSandy .

Continue Reading... Labels: APNewsBreak:, Brand, divorce, Perry, Russell

Friends Rally Around Karen Perry, Mom Who Lost Kids in Arizona Plane Crash

Friends are wrapping their arms around Karen Perry today after the Gold Canyon, Ariz., single mother had to face the loss of her three young children and ex-husband.

"You have survived so much already," friend Susan Steele wrote on Perry's public Facebook wall. "I cannot imagine what you are facing. I add my love and prayers to the many you have received. We are all here for you."

Perry, who was a pilot and currently works as a flight attendant with Delta Airlines, was described as a doting and selfless mother to her three children, Morgan, 9; Logan, 8; and Luke, 6.

Countless pictures of Perry having fun with her three children are posted on her Facebook, including Morgan and a kangaroo, a vacation with Logan in Hollywood and photos of Luke, who loved to pose, hamming it up for the camera.

"Such a camera ham," Perry wrote under a picture Luke took of himself.

Luke, who was the youngest, suffered from autism.

"My male mini me," Perry wrote under a picture of the two of them.

Morgan battled epilepsy and faced several brain surgeries.

"They were just great kids," Mark Blomgren, principal at the school the two oldest children attended, told the Arizona Republic. "All the teachers were naturally shocked. They cared about them and wondered how their mom was doing and they were just hit pretty hard. Logan and Morgan were just special kids that the teachers really bonded with."

The flight between Falcon Field in Mesa, Ariz., and Safford, Ariz., seemed to be a common one for the three kids.

Perry posted a picture of the twin-engine plane the children and her ex-husband, Shawn Perry, 39, rode on during that fateful Thanksgiving-eve crash in the Superstition Mountains.

"Just loaded up my kids on this turbine commander," she posted on Feb. 4, 2011. "Dad at the controls headed for Safford, AZ."

The twin-engine plane slammed into the Superstition Mountains at 200 mph shortly after takeoff on Wednesday, creating a fireball that was captured on video.

Pilot Russell Hardy, 31, and mechanic Joseph Hardwick, 22, who was engaged to be married on Dec. 16, were also on board.

Rescuers continued their search to recover remains and debris today, which they said was scattered throughout the steep, jagged terrain.

"It's a very arduous process, without being too descriptive, because of the explosion," Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu said Wednesday afternoon. "The remains are being handled with great care and compassion."

A team from the National Transportation Safety Board was also on hand today to investigate the crash.

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Continue Reading... Labels: Arizona, Around, Crash, Friends, Karen, Perry, Plane, Rally