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Ready for a quick fix? Infomercials are infamous for making the unrealistic seem possible. The before and after pictures are often so dramatically different, that it is nearly impossible to not stay glued to the TV so you can find out the secret to the "after" success. One American blogger has created a viral video to "expose" the mystery behind the before and after pictures. He calls himself Furious Pete, and he has set out to dispel the illusion -- and he does it all in just under five hours. He does the "after" first, hitting the gym and pumping up his biceps, triceps, and pecs to make sure he is "as vascular as humanly possible." He takes a trip to a tanning bed to get "as tanned up as possible" to "show off that vascularity." He then advises going straight home and set up some "really good lighting in your basement." Then he sprays himself with cooking spray and explains that just before you take the shot you should do a few more bicep curls to add a "toned look." He even digitally alters the "after" picture to make it a little more polished and perfect. To prove that he's doing all of this in fewer than five hours, Furious Pete displays his laptop computer screen with the CNN.com homepage to verify the date and time of the video, "January 29, 2012, 6:22 p.m." Next, he prepares for the "before" photo by chowing down on canned Beefaroni, soda, chips, and chocolate milk. When he is good and bloated, he displays his computer screen again, this time showing that it is the same date, but it is now 10:25 p.m. In the end, Furious Pete makes his final point, saying that he just wanted to "show that anything is possible in the world nowadays" and "don't believe everything you see with your eyes." Looks can be deceiving. So far, he's received more than 3 million views on YouTube. For the most part people are appreciative of Furious Pete's ability to dispel allegedly false advertisements. One person commented, "Well done! You've done a public service with this video."
Let's move now from a physical transformation to a possible political one.
In 2007, Amber Lee Ettinger became an overnight Internet sensation when her video "Crush on Obama" went viral during Barack Obama's campaign for the presidency. Ettinger recently told Politico that her crush is fading. She says she's not sure who she'll be voting for in the 2012 presidential election and, at this point, she's still "keeping her eyes and ears open." Ettinger does add that she does not dislike President Obama. She now thinks that being labeled as "The Obama Girl" could be holding back her acting career. She also shares with Politico that being known for one thing "can definitely shut a lot of doors." However she believes President Obama has "done a lot of really great stuff, but he doesn't get enough credit for the things he does." So what's Ettinger up to these days? She's still making videos for BarelyPolitical.com, the same site that produced "Crush on Obama." Her latest project is a spoof on the 2011 movie "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo."