WASHINGTON, May 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — An official report filed by People for The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) with the Virginia government shows that the organization put to death more than 90 percent of the dogs, cats, and other pets it took in for adoption during 2007. During that year, the well-known animal rights group managed to find adoptive homes for just 17 animals. In light of PETA’s hypocritical angel-of-death program, today the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) called on PETA to stop its routine condemnation of Americans who believe it’s perfectly ethical to use animals for food, clothing, and medical research.

This comes on the heels of last week’s Newsweek report, which revealed that since 1998 PETA had killed, “more than 17,000 animals, nearly 85 percent of all those it has rescued.”

Not counting animals PETA held only temporarily in its spay-neuter program, the organization took in 1,997 “companion animals” during 2007, of which it killed 1,815. According to Virginia’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), the average euthanasia rate for humane societies in the state was just 36.2 percent in 2007. PETA killed 90.9 percent of the animals it took in.

“Pet lovers should be outraged,” said CCF Director of Research David Martosko. “There are thousands of worthwhile animal-welfare organizations that deserve the support of compassionate Americans. PETA is not one of them. This is the kind of cold, heartless behavior that would draw a naked PETA protest if anyone else were doing it.”

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People have said that America loves an underdog. Some of these people have said that it’s even more true when it comes to American Idol. Maybe that is why tonight one of the most talented of the remaining six got booted from the show. While mediocre talent remains such as Jason, who Simon has said wasn’t able to sing well but was charming, and Syesha, who should have been gone weeks ago, Carly was sent home. Andrew Lloyd Weber week did her in when it should have easily done in Jason, if not one of the others. It’s sad to see that America got it wrong when the answer was as easy as could be.

The good news is that Carly took it like a champ and refused to cry. She showed America what they would be missing and went out with a bang. The other good news is that she shouldn’t have any problem getting a record contract after this. I cannot wait until that happens because I look forward to picking up her CD when it hits shelves.

Rather than complain about the obvious I am going to end this with a couple of Carly’s best performances.

Carly, if you’re reading this….I am a fan and you will be missed.

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Andrew Lloyd Weber week was going to be tough. I knew that going in. So few of the remaining six are able to show up with that presence that is necessary where musical theatre is concerned. Yes, most of them can sing. However, it doesn’t mean most of them deserve to be able to sing classically or on Broadway. It takes a special kind. Last night, some of the idols proved that they are the kind that can sing these kind of songs and that they deserve to stay. Unfortunately, some of them didn’t.

At this stage in the competition it’s really time to weed out the losers and let the potential winners do their thing. The winners are becoming more and more obvious every day. I don’t think at this stage there is any question of who will be left standing at the end of the competition. The question will be which order the remaining four go home in. Last night may have changed the order I was expecting just a little bit, which I will explain in a minute. For now, let’s look at my picks for the bottom three performances last night.

These are in no uncertain order at this point, but here they are nonetheless.

The judges all raved that Syesha had such a musical theatre persona and if that’s truly the case then it’s one more reason that she doesn’t belong on American Idol. While she might have done well this week (I don’t think she was all that hot, but…) in the past she has bombed repeatedly. Her booming voice either comes off as shrieking or screaming and she is too over-confident (nobody loves Syesha quite as much as she loves herself), without cause. I know she went for the sexy thing and it caught people’s attention but that didn’t make it good. Looking at the others on stage she is running out of hot air and one semi-decent performance along with a sea of mediocre ones just means that her weeks are numbered. I don’t think she will go home this week, but within the next two weeks I predict she will be gone.

I like Brooke. I really do like her. Before yesterday’s performance I had her coined to go home in two weeks. However, now I’m not so sure. She lost her words and that obviously frightened her. Starting over was the brave and admirable thing to do, but once she did her confidence was shot and her voice seemed strained. I don’t think one bad performance should be the cause of her going home, but I fear this may do the trick for dear Brooke White. I think she’s has a good chance of getting a deal, most of them do, really, but it’s sad to see her go on what could have been an okay night for her had the word memory problem not cropped up.

This wasn’t his best performance. Then again, it wasn’t his worst. The problem is that he was so far out of his element that it was uncomfortable to watch. I just don’t get why Jason was even ever a part of this competition to begin with. Sure he’s unusual, which always makes for a good choice, but in the end, there were plenty of better or more suitable options for American Idol. I have been thinking he would be going home for a few weeks. Now is as good a time as any. I am pretty sure that if he doesn’t go tonight then it will be Brooke. Any way you look at it he doesn’t have more than a week or two, at most, left in him.

Technorati Tags: American Idol, Syesha, Jason Castro, Brooke White, Andrew Lloyd Weber, Singing, Music, Evita, Votes, Worst Performances

I think the title here says it all. So rather than drudge on with specifics, let’s hop right into the list, shall we?

1. First it’s the gays then it will be the horses, dogs, and farm animals - Naturally, everyone knows that if we let a gay man marry a man or a lesbian couple get married it will lead to animal lovers marrying chickens, dogs, and who knows what else. Therefore, by not allowing gay marriage we are doing our world duty to stop bestiality.

2. Incest will become common place – While bestiality would certainly be bad enough, it is necessary to never allow gay marriage because of the possibility that siblings and relatives will take it as their opportunity to get their equal rights. Gone will be the days of sharing family bathing time. Instead they will want equal rights to share their love in public, too, and it will be our fault because it all started with the gays.

3. Marriage is a sacred right between a man and woman – Everyone knows that in the U.S. marriage has always been between a man and a woman. Ignore the fact that this particular brand of marriage is a Christian concept and not all people, American or otherwise, are Christian. It simply should not matter. The point is the U.S. has never allowed it (just like blacks and whites could not get married) and we should not allow it now!

4. Homosexuality is unnatural – If it doesn’t happen in nature it should not happen with humans. Gay marriage is an agenda set to ruin society as we know it. If there are not gay penguins, gay whales, gay vultures, chimps, or other animals then there cannot logically be gay men or women.

5. If gays can marry they will have kids and they will make more gay people – Naturally, gay people will make their kids gay. Gay people are really just straight because their parents were straight, but they are pretending to be gay because they must really hate their parents. However, this façade will create real gay people when they raise these kids. Unless, of course, the kids hate their parents enough to pretend to be straight…then they will have the last laugh.

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They both technically lost when they were on Season Five. Kelly lost by more than Katherine, but losing is losing even if you come in second. However, now it seems the tides have certainly turned and while Pickler has excelled in her genre, McPhee has been placed in the leftover fluff pile to rot.

They both have new albums they are working on (I am guessing one will be more successful than the other…again) and they both recently came back to AI to perform live. The performances are both below. The question is…who do you think performed better?

Katherine McPhee sang during the first Beatles Week.

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Amanda has left the building. In fact, by now it’s possible that she’s left Hollywood. She’s packed up her black clothing, her Aerosmith necklaces, and she’s headed back home. I have to admit that I didn’t think that you would do it America.

I thought you would leave her on, until her rousing rendition of “Dreamlover” by Mariah Carey that came with a twist that sounded like something sang on the back of a truck during a rock n’ roll, honky tonk. But alas! You surprised me by saying goodbye to Amanda, who we at Literary Illusions have affectionately named “Skunky” since her hair reminds of us of that of a skunk, and saving those who attend the Idol concert from having to hear her bad renditions of any song she happens to sing.

Before I get into my personal goodbye, please enjoy a few moments of silence while you sit baffled listening to Skunky ruin the Beatles for the last time.

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As if the first Beatles week wasn’t bad enough (technically it was the John/Paul songbook, but they WERE the Beatles)…Guess what kids?! We’re back for another with the top 11 and a new set of Beatles songs they can desecrate. Ryan seemed enthusiastic as he announced the Idols. It was Amanda first and it ended with Ramiele.

They all lined up and Ryan wished them luck before sending them off stage again a totally pointless display. Randy looked preppy in his powder blue V neck. I don’t know dawg. He just didn’t have that yo factor today. Paula looked drunk in her sparkly shirt, but then what else is new? And, of course, Simon looked calm and polished in a white sweater.

Before things got underway, Ryan asked the judges for advice for the idols. Randy recommended that they pick the right song. There are a lot of them to choose from, after all. Paula recommended that the ones who can take risks should continue to take risks. Finally, Simon said he felt this competition was half talent oriented and half vocally oriented. To win him over tonight, they just need to sing well. Obviously that would be easier for some than it will for others.

After Ryan gave a little tribute to the Beatles, as opposed to last week’s Lennon McCartney songbook, we were on our way. I have to say, I enjoyed the shots and clips of the Beatles, but was absolutely dreading the idols’ versions. I had three favorites last week and while I think they will pull through for me again, it’s everyone else I am afraid of.

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Dominick Evans isn’t just one of the writers and head editor for Literary Illusions. He’s also my best friend. It’s difficult to think your best friend may lose their only means of transportation, via wheelchair, but that is a likely fear I face as I wait for Dominick to go through his third appeal to keep his wheelchair.

Dominick is 27 years old. He’s been unable to walk since he was 16 years old. He could stand, briefly, by clinging to the edge of his bed, to hold himself up, until he fell on his leg during a transfer, back in 2002. He ended up fracturing his tibia and the ability to stand at all was lost. This is important to know because his insurance is saying that he can stand up and walk from his bed to his wheelchair so they don’t wish to pay for the new chair he has received.

The chair features tilt and a special cushion because he is high risk for pressure sores and he cannot weight shift. Considering he has a progressive (as in, it gets worse not better) muscle disease, Spinal Muscular Atrophy (covered under Muscular Dystrophy) and the fact that his insurance saw just cause to buy him a chair with tilt and a special cushion back in 2002, it seems logical to amass that he still needs those things on his chair. However, since according to insurance, he’s miraculously able to walk/stand, they refuse to pay for his new wheelchair, even though its clear he needs it.

Dominick suffered with a broken down wheelchair practically from the moment he received his old chair in 2002. He had to get a lawyer just to make the company (where he got the chair from) fix it. It was literally two days old and falling apart. They never fixed the chair properly, so he had to suffer in a substandard chair that continuously broke down and was too big for his 5′3 frame. This led to many health problems for Dominick and he ended up spending more time in bed then out in his wheelchair.

A new chair, which can be purchased every five years, was a new beginning for Dom. He is able to get out and about more. He’s able to stay up in his chair longer. His atrophying muscles aren’t as stiff. He’s doing much better physically, emotionally, and mentally considering what a toll having such a bad chair can put on a person. I’ve sat by and watched it all. We’ve been together since 2002, so I’ve been through all of it with him and now I can no longer sit by without helping him in some way.

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Ryan introduced the crew tonight, as always. It’s the top 16, which means tonight is the top 8 men and the last night of being split up. When he introduced the judges it appeared that everyone was ready to get things moving.

Randy was looking himself tonight. He had on a fly t-shirt and his bling. Paula had on her bright, hooker getup with some scary hair. I don’t know what’s with the wannabe Farrah curly flip. Maybe she was doing it because it’s her 80s motif, but whatever it is, it isn’t working. Finally there was Simon, and well, he’s Simon. He looks as good as he always does and the slight scowl on his face said he was ready to get things moving.

Tonight’s theme is 80s music and each contestant has to tell about their most embarrassing moment.

Up first was Luke Menard. His special moment was when he was dressed up like a ballerina by his sister, when he was a child.

What he sang: “Jitterbug”

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Tonight the Top 10 men of American Idol’s Top 20 were performing on the AI stage. After Ryan’s intro and the basics of introducing the judges, the men were ready to sing their songs. There isn’t much to say about the judges. If you’ve seen them once you’ve seen them 100 times. Paula looked drunk, Randy was playin’ gangsta’, and Simon looked like he walked out of a Neman Marcus catalogue.

According to Ryan, tonight’s songs are all from the 70s.

Up first is Michael Johns.

What he wore: A t-shirt and jeans. He was wearing his normal attire and looked good, as always.

What he sang: “Go your Own Way”

How he sounded: When I heard him I was shocked. I have liked him from the beginning, but he was on his own here. The song was off. It didn’t sound right at all. He sounded like he was shouting and it just felt like an altogether, uncomfortable performance. I don’t think it will affect him being here next week, thank goodness, but had there been less contestants he could have been in trouble.

What the judges said: Randy liked it a little bit. There were some issues in the beginning, but it was alright. Paula loved it and loved him. Simon felt that it was the wrong song for him and didn’t know why he would pick something like that.

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