number of years yet. \ s they are viewed by millions. what's their secret formula?

"caught on camera, virals videos, millions served." hello, i'm contessa brewer. welcome to caught on are a. have your friends e-mailed you a video so funny, unique or completely absurd you felt like you have to send it to everyone you know? if you've pressed send, you have what he a hand in spreading a viral video. it's not big budgets or great production values that make these videos so compelling. in this hour, you will a he see some of the most watched viral videos, each video has more than 1 million hits online, but why? you be the judge. ketchup and fries make a great snack but can they make a work of art? using about ten packets of ketchup and a carton of fries, artist jason bauman proves, well, yes, they can. >> i first saw it i watched it a few times i couldn't believe it, it is real. >> very impressive and edible. >> in march, 2007, jason posted a time lapsed video on youtube which shows him using french fries and ketchup to paint a picture of mcdonald's icon

ronald mcdonald and "super size me" filmmaker, morgan spurlock. >> this guy basically takes bags of mcdonald's fast food ketchup and makes art with a french fry and the ketchup. it's incredible. >> within a week, the video receives more than 1 million hits. >> it was quite shocking. i knew that there such things as viral videos but never in my intentions did i think i was ever gonna create one. never even thought of t i was just playing around. >> you why use ketchup and french fries to payment a picture? as a portrait artist, jason grew tired of drawing with charcoal and pencil. he looked everywhere for inspiration and one night, he found it, in his happy meal. >> i came across it by accident, eating some french fries and is saw that i could manipulate the ketchup with the french fry and it could be like a brush. >> jason wanted to paint something that related to the tools he was using so he decided to paint his own version of the

movie poster for "super size me." >> related to the ketchup, it gave somewhat of a meaning and interpretation to it. >> with a small web cam recording, gentleman ison prepares his ketchup, picks up a fry and begins painting. >> mcdonald's french fries as a paint brush. it's unbelievable. >> ketchup may work as a condiment but it proves tricky as paint. >> unlike paint, the ketchup was a matter of how thick it was on there. if it was very thin layer of ketchup it showed up as a lit color 'cause the background showed through and it was piled on there thick, it was the darkest red, so, it was more of sculpting the actual height that the ketchup stood off of the page. >> working with flimsy french fries also becomes problematic. >> i was constantly having to change the french fries and find ones that maybe had a point or actually tend, i found the soggy ones performed different, like having a variety of brushes but never knew what i was gonna get.

doofrmts he spite jason's unique challenges, a very realistic depiction of ronald mcdonald begins to emerge. >> it is interesting to see the building of it because it really can help kind of go, oh, wow, that's how you do that? >> the french fry brush dances across the paper and suddenly, the image of morgan spurlock comes to life, with true artist precision. jason finishes the painting in one take in less than an hour. >> he is obviously a true artist, but rather than just do portraits like everybody else, he has done something really different, he has used a different medium. i think it's really cool. >> since its original posting in 2007, jason's ketchup article has had great success, earn mogger than 3 million hits. any time somebody has an extraordinary talent like that, it seems to do really well on the internet. after the fact they use a time lapse camera, people love to watch things in time lapsed cameras. >> some people even go so far as they will get ketchup and french fries and try it. >> jason's passion for creating unusual works of article doesn't

stop with ketchup and fries there is the chee-to elvis using crumbled cheetos shall the lipstick angelina jolie drawn with various shades of lip sting and the bette davis mascara painting drawn completely with mascara. you his most famous work comes shortly after he finishes ketchup art. it's a time lapsed version of the mona lisa using microsoft paint. >> most people that have used windows have tried microsoft paint. it's the paint program included. it's usually food enough to draw a stick figure and that's at extent of it. >> jason says he wants to create fine art while using a simple consumer program like microsoft paint. >> the idea i had was to take something that people had experience with and put it with another thing which was the mona lisa. there was two things they could relate to and give it a value of its own. >> despite the limitations of microsoft paint, jason finds ways to add depth to his painting. >> i was using a drawing tab

let, so, that made it a lot easier, but i used a variety of the tools and a lot of it is kind of an optical illusion. >> within about an hour and a half, jason finishes his painting. and since posting, jason's rendition of the mona lisa has gone viral, with more than 11 million hits. jason says he hopes to continue to use the internet as a medium to showcase his work. >> the internet expands people's horizons and opens up the world to their self-expression, their art's probably getting seen more on youtube, even if it's not making millions, just getting thousands of views than it would be sitting in a gallery. another artist who brings something unique to the internet is photographer noah kalina. he takes a picture of him self-every day for six years. >> over six years of pictures and you get to watch this guy basically grow. >> this is an amazing video.

it's hard to find a video on the internet that surprises you, that has that wow factor and this is definitely one of those videos. >> some people write in journals, some subscribe to books. on january 11, 2000, noah begins his project, noah k every, an experimental photography project that captures the passable of time. with the flip screen of his digital camera, noah is able to see the image while photographing much he lines up his nose in the center of screen and snaps. in the beginning, he doesn't think it will be possible to photograph himself every single day but soon, it becomes as normal as brushing his teeth. six years and 2,356 photos later, noah compiles his still photography experiment into a 5 1/2-minute time lapse video. and in august, 2006, posts it on youtube. >> this blew up when this first came out, like mind exploding. >> viewers watched more than

half a decade of noah's life unfold. his apartments, his hairstyles, even his girlfriends. >> in some ways, a very personal video, where it's like this is me, just completely exposed and people started really getting into that. >> in three weeks, the video shoots to 1 million hits. >> every once in a while, you get that one, on vacation, weird night vision. >> you find little things every time you watch it. see little people in the back ground sometimes and he is switching rooms and his style sort of changes and got some facial hair, really a day in the life. >> though noah never smiles there is something about his stare that's completely mezzer are rising. >> really creepy. like this guy is staring into my soul. >> but viewers seem to love it because noah's video has earned more than 13 million hits and counting. >> people are really interested in the passage of time to watch somebody's face and hair and style change over six years every single day is really

interesting. you know, could i watch this over and over again. >> noah's noah k every day photography prop xbrekt is still a work in progress. since he started back in january 2000, noah has only missed 22 photos. and he hopes to continue photographing himself every day for the rest of his life. coming up, a bride can't stop laughing during her wedding vows. [ laughter ] >> oh, gosh, here she goes again. and a little boy can't remove his finger from his pay i brother's mouth. >> ow. ow, charlie. >> when "caught on camera, viral videos, millions served" continues. man go to the post office again.

most people are nervous on their wedding day, but while reciting his vows in august 2009, 25-year-old groom andrew engstrom has a slip of the tongue.

>> i, andrew paul daniel engstrom -- >> do take melissa rene warren -- >> do take melissa rene warren. >> -- to be my lawfully wedded wife. >> to be my waf -- lawfully -- >> the church erupts in laughter, including the 22-year-old bride, melissa warren. and just as things start to quiet down, she completely loses it. >> i just lost it. it was so funny. >> she starts to laugh, and then she just can't stop laughing. >> i know she's going to keep laughing. so i'm like, just give her a minute, folks. like i know the next one's coming. >> when the video hits the internet, it earns more than a million hits. >> melissa and andrew first met at seattle pacific university where they were both students. >> we lived in the same residence halls. i was a freshman. he was a junior. and we had a lot of mutual friends. spent some time together within groups, but it was after he

graduated that we connected again. >> after graduating, andrew received some devastating news. >> my dad came down with lung cancer, like horrific tumors the size of grapefruits. >> deeply religious, andrew copes with his father's cancer with prayer, and the first person he reaches out to is melissa. >> it just felt as natural as could be to go to melissa about it. even though we didn't know each other really well, i knew her in a way that i trusted her a lot. >> he e-mailed me and said will you pray, because i don't want my dad to die. and it was to the point where they weren't going to treat him. so we all started praying. >> call it divine intervention or simply good luck, but after one month of prayer from andrew, melissa, family, and friends, andrew's father defies the odds. his tumors completely disappear. >> he started getting better. his pain started going away. >> and when andrew returns to seattle pacific to interview for a master's program, he has more on his mind than impressing the faculty.

he wants to see melissa, who's a junior at the school. >> i was hoping i'd get an audience with her. and sure enough that night, she was there. >> we just had this wonderful time with our community, and then after that point, we both kind of knew something was going on here. >> after a whirlwind courtship, dating and engagement, andrew and melissa are finally ready to tie the knot. and as the day of the wedding arrives, everyone is eager to begin the ceremony. >> i was stressed. i was feeling really kind of uptight, and i just had this moment of like i don't want to feel like this on my wedding day, and i asked god for joy. >> and joy she gets. as melissa and her father walk down the aisle, things just keep getting funnier and funnier, from the organist who won't stop playing -- >> i was like, okay, come on, organ lady, this is my wedding day. >> -- to melissa's dad telling their love story. >> oh, thank you. >> we were just laughing through the whole thing and crying. >> things become downright comical.

but by the time melissa and andrew get to their vows, the mood turns serious. >> both of us have prepared for a long time for our spouse and saved ourself for marriage, and so it was like, woah, i'm giving you my life, even only part of the way. you can see that gravity. >> melissa and andrew's dads, who are both pastors, serve as officiants, and andrew's dad has the honor of giving the vows. when melissa recites her part, she gets choked up. >> until death do us part. >> until death do us part. >> this is my solemn vow. >> this is my solemn vow. >> now it's andrew's turn. >> you can see how intense i am. >> i, andrew paul daniel engstrom -- >> do take melissa rene warren -- >> -- to be my lawfully wedded wife. >> to be my waf -- lawfully wedded wife. and pancake-y. i caught myself at waf, you

know. it wasn't like waffling. but it was too late. and her dad loved to giggle. and she starts laughing. it's like all right. you know, that's cool. i'm all right with that. >> it just sort of hit my funnybone. >> she started laughing. i've learned enough about her by now to know that that was not the end of it. >> to the amusement of everyone in the church, melissa finds it so funny that she belts out a screeching laugh. >> every time i looked at andrew after i first started laughing, i would remember what he just said and the fact that we're standing in front of 400 people saying our vows and couldn't stop laughing. and it was so funny. >> and she keeps on laughing. >> and then dad starts all the way over. >> i, andrew paul daniel engstrom -- >> i'm like, if you're ever going to give me a chance to mess up again, it's if you start all the way over. i'm not feeling all that sure right now. >> to quiet the laughter and move things along, andrew quotes one of his favorite lines from the movie "the princess bride."

>> say, "man and wife." that's when i said, "say, 'man and wife'" because i wanted him to get things speeded up. >> and his tactic works because shortly after, the laughter dies down, and andrew and melissa are presented to the world as husband and wife. andrew's slip-up is so funny, they tell their wedding videographer to post it on the web. >> we were thinking, you know, it will be for our friends, and people will watch it. and then it started picking up speed really unexpectedly. >> it gets so many hits that melissa's and andrew's parents contact them on their honeymoon. >> we got calls from our parents on our honeymoon. you've got to get to a library. you have to watch your wedding video, which was silly because we were on our honeymoon. >> and when they finally returned home, the hits continue to climb. >> it's like 80,000. it's crazy, you know. so it's clearly not just our friends watching it, which is what we expected. >> the popularity of the video is catching, and eventually, it reaches more than 1 million hits. >> the fact that she cannot stop

laughing and she can't pull herself together makes it viral magic. >> andrew blames his sleight of tongue on a term called "spoonerism." >> my dad does it on purpose. so it's actually his fault. he trained me to do this. he switches the first two letters of the word, so like "sleeping bag" would be "beeping slag." a "cup of water" would be a "wup of cotter." >> but despite his spooners, andrew hopes his wedding day gaffe will be a sign of how he and melissa will handle whatever hardship comes their way, with love and with a lot of laughter. coming up -- one of the hottest acts on the web -- >> hey, it's fred. >> -- features one of the craziest characters you've ever seen. plus, a little boy's trip to the dentist -- >> do i have stitches? >> yes. >> on my teeth? >> yeah. don't touch it. >> -- leaves viewers in stitches. >> don't. and a baby's bite goes viral. >> ow. ouch, charlie. >> when "caught on camera: viral video - millions served" returns. (son) oh no...

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hey, it's fred. >> wait! rewind.

who is that? >> hey, it's fred. >> who or what is fred? >> fred is -- i think he might be the number one subscribed channel on youtube or close to it. >> close to it is right. previously in first place, the fred channel moved to the second most subscribed channel on youtube in 2009 with more than 1 million subscribers. >> oh, my god! >> fred is sort of an internet phenomenon. >> but with a following that size, who are the brains behind the operation? comedy sketch group in new york? >> oh, yeah, yeah. >> a major entertainment company in hollywood? >> uh, no. >> how about a teenager in rural nebraska? >> oh, my god! it's cold! >> if you guessed the teen, you're right. fred is the brainchild of a 16-year-old boy named lucas cruikshank. the fourth of eight kids, lucas has been coming up with funny characters as long as he can remember. >> i was always like making random characters and sketch videos with my family with my mom's camera. >> but after receiving a camera

of his own at 13, lucas unknowingly took his sketch comedy videos to a whole new level. >> like i had two cousins over, and we started making just a bunch of random videos and posting them online, thinking nothing of it. i like to understand that people from all over the whole entire world can watch the videos. >> in october 2006, one of his videos featured a new fictional character, a hyperactive 6-year-old with a high-pitched voice named fred. lucas shoots, stars, and edits the video, and films it -- where else -- at his house. >> fred is a 6-year-old, and he is really random and crazy. his mom is an alcoholic. >> my mom's in rehab because of her problems. >> and his dad's in prison. he's never even met his dad. >> fred, unlike lucas, is so socially awkward that he has no friends, and with his shrill voice, he rambles on and on to the camera. >> whatever. >> when he's just in front of the camera, he's just all confident, and he'll say anything. when he's actually like out with other kids, then he's like this awkward person, and he does like

weird stuff that kids just like look at, and they're just like i don't want to be friends with someone who does that, you know. >> in fred's world, there are plenty of people to impress. you never see them, but you hear them. and lucas voices them all. >> don't take off any of your clothes in front of that camera unless someone pays you. >> besides fred's alcoholic mother and absentee dad, there's fred's crush, judy. >> this is getting kind of stalkerish. oh, my god. >> no, no, judy. you can't come in. nooooo! >> there's fred's archnemesis and judy's pseudo boyfriend, kevin. >> let's go beat up fred inside the pool. >> no. do you want me to get the cat with rabies to bite you again? >> and then there's fred's trusty cat with rabies. and then there's a few kind neighborhood squirrels played by dogs. >> there's obviously the animals who are practically kind of fred's friends -- only friends. >> oh, i knew you would always be on my side. >> in each roughly 2 1/2-minute video, lucas's character, fred, deals with ordinary situations in the only way he knows how, by acting completely crazy. take a look at this video. fred goes swimming, one of

lucas's most popular, with more than 34 million hits. >> basically, it's fred talking about this new big pool that he's received and then swimming in this pool that ends up not being as big as he at first said it would be. then he gets attacked by some sort of plastic shark. it's all very specific, yet out there. >> very silly, total slapstick humor, the kind of thing that my 4-year-old son finds hysterical. >> and then there's one of lucas's favorite videos, "fred stalks judy." >> that was so much fun to film because there's like a little photo shoot, and that was so funny to see fred do, like him trying to look cool. >> how does lucas create fred's signature voice? >> fred's voice you could either do with like helium, which probably isn't safe to do. i speed up the video so it sounds more crazy and looks more crazy. i just thought it added a whole new element to the character. >> when lucas first realizes his little household hobby is being viewed by millions of people, he becomes a little anxious. >> it like really freaked me out. i felt all pressure to think of ideas.

and when i'd film the videos, i was like all nervous. >> but the nerves don't last long, and lucas's fred videos continue to be wildly successful with their primary audience, tweens and teens. >> he'd just talk about texting and internet-y stuff, and i think it just really appeals to the younger generation. >> lucas's videos are so popular that soon, this teenage entrepreneur is approached by a licensing agent, and now fred dolls, shirts, and bags are being sold all over the country. >> it's so weird like walking into a store and seeing dolls made out of you. it's really weird. >> but just how successful is lucas? well, his "fred" videos have earned him enough money to go to college, but his mom says despite his fame, he's still lucas at home, a teenager who does his chores and picks up his younger siblings from school. besides staying tuned for the next season of "fred," fans can also look forward to the "fred" movie. >> the "fred" movie's going to be kind of different from the videos in a way that it's not just not going to be fred the whole entire time, and you'll see all the other characters. and i won't be playing. there'll actually be other actors playing the other characters. >> and if you're older than 18

and scratching your head because you just don't get fred, maybe you're not supposed to. >> it just depends what kind of comedies you like. some think it stupid. some think it's awesome. i don't think about the audience. i think about the videos. >> thank you. thank you very much. coming up -- >> i feel -- >> a little boy's trip to the dentist has millions with their mouths open wide. >> is this going to be forever? and is that cat really playing the piano. >> she's doing two paws at a time. it's amazing. >> when "caught on camera: viral video - millions served" continues.

i'm richard lui with your hour's top stories much the second officer killed in an nqpd ambush shooting was laid to rest today. thousands turning out in brooklyn to say good-bye to the officer who died with his

partner on december 20th. the fbi director and congress members spoke at that service. a u.s. health care worker exposed to ebola arrived in nebraska for testing much the patient working in sierra leone shows no since of the virus but monitored during the 21-day inc., cube base period. now back to "call the on camera." welcome back to "caught on camera." i'm contessa brewer. it's one of those moments we dread, going to the dentist. maybe that's why this next video resonates with so many people. millions of clicks made a little boy with a toothache a bite-size celebrity. when david devore buckles his son into his car seat on the way back from the dentist, he notices his 7-year-old son is acting pretty strange. >> is this real life? >> he was just being very crazy acting.

he was very loopy, kind of sliding down the seat and just seeing double and that sort of thing. >> that morning, in may 2008, david junior had surgery to remove an extra tooth, and apparently, the anesthesia had not yet worn off. >> i'm hungry. >> yeah, i know. how did it go? >> i didn't feel anything. >> yeah. it was pretty invasive surgery, so he had a strong sedative. >> with david junior strapped securely in his seat, his father decides to document the moment. he pulls out his camera and begins taping in the parking lot. >> the original intent of the video was to record it because my wife couldn't be there. i just wanted to tape it to show her. >> david junior is extremely confused. so his father tries to reassure him. >> my main goal was to calm him down. do you feel good? and to not make him more agitated.

so i was trying, you know, with my voice -- >> now i have two fingers. >> good. >> oh. four fingers. >> four fingers? >> but david is completely out of it, and like most curious kids, his finger goes straight for his stitches. >> nah, nah, nah, don't put that -- don't put it in your mouth. >> head bobbing, david is disoriented. >> do you feel good? >> but tries to cope. >> i can't see anything. >> yes, you can. stay in your seat. [ screaming ] >> i think he was just trying to wake himself up, you know, to see if it was real. >> but those little hands keep going for the stitches. >> do i have stitches? >> uh-huh. >> do i have stitches? >> yes. >> on my teeth? >> yeah. don't touch it. >> do i have stitches? don't put your finger in your mouth. >> don't.

>> don't. don't do it. damnit. i want nothing more than to put my fingers in my mouth right now. >> why can't i touch it? >> because it will mess up the stitches. >> but when david still can't shake his crazy nightmare, he becomes upset. >> i feel funny. why is this happening to me? >> it's okay, bud. it's just from the medicine, okay? >> is this going to be forever? >> no. no, it won't be forever. >> there's something about the sort of honesty of seeing a kid go through this process that most of us have experienced. we've all, you know, had some sort of medical procedure where you had to wake up from anesthesia and you're completely blown out of your mind. you don't even know what's going on. >> when david senior and his family watch the video, they love it so much that a few months later, they post it on facebook. >> i got into facebook and posted it and just got some good

reaction from our family and friends and started to get more and more requests to see it. >> so david senior decides to put the video of his son on youtube, and in just one week, the video receives a jaw-dropping 3 million hits. >> you know, you're just shocked, you know. not negative or positive, right? but you're just like, wow, so many people are reviewing it. >> and though some viewers love "david after dentist," others see it as poor taste. >> i feel funny. >> david senior and his family are invited to appear on the "today" show to discuss the video and the controversy surrounding it. >> some people said this is okay this is funny, david and tessy. and others say, no, this is exploitation.

in fact, a writer of the "sun times" says videos of kids on the video cross the line. we expect parents to protect their children in situations where they cannot protect themselves, not exploit them. how do you feel about that? >> well, we certainly understand the reaction, that point of view, and as dedicated parents, we actually appreciate that. but this is an isolated incident. this was something that our family, you know, thought was okay. should i have posted it? why did i videotape it? you know, as a parent, i understand because it is, you know, a child. and if we thought there was anything that was harming david or putting him in harm's way, we wouldn't do it. >> but despite some criticism, there have been some positive results. david senior has started a "david after dentist" t-shirt line, using those now famous quotes from his son. >> we have a graphic t-shirt with a picture of david with that quote. >> and what does the star of the video think of all this? >> i take pictures with everybody that recognizes me. >> his favorite part of the video?

not surprisingly, the part where he screams. [ screaming ] of course, david junior doesn't remember much about his dentist visit. >> i remember my dad and this other lady carrying me out. i could barely see. it felt like my eyes were barely open. i was like dizzy. >> but whether david loves the video or wishes he would go away, it's one he won't live down. >> is this going to be forever? >> on youtube, you bet it will. >> i think this video is like this generation's, you know, naked baby pictures. >> why is this happening to me? >> but i don't think he'll be embarrassed by this one. i don't think he will. i think he'll enjoy it for a long time. halfway around the world, two more kids hold the title for one of the most watched viral videos of all times. >> charlie bit me. >> this is one of my favorite viral videos of the last two years. easily. >> spring 2007, england.

howard, who prefers we don't use his last name, films his two young sons as they watch tv. >> i tend to get the camera out every now and then. i'll just take videos of them just doing what they do as children. >> 3 1/2-year-old harry is holding his 1-year-old brother charlie on his lap. >> charlie is just sitting on harry's lap, and for some reason harry puts his finger near his mouth. >> using no force at all, charlie pretends to bite harry's finger. thinking it's funny, he sticks his finger in his mouth again. >> and all of a sudden, charlie decides to clamp down and bite it. >> ow. charlie, that really hurt. >> just the reaction is sort of like the pause. >> ow. >> and then charlie bit me, ow. >> ow, charlie. >> ouch, charlie. >> it's just classic. >> he bit me really, really, really, really hard. >> so his little brother is gnawing on his finger, and harry

never makes a move to make him stop. >> it's very brave of harry not to retaliate. he didn't do anything, he didn't try to rip his finger out or hurt charlie. he took it and realized that charlie really wasn't trying to hurt him. >> but charlie must have sensed his brother wasn't happy because he quickly opens his mouth and lets go. >> that really hurts. >> and that's when charlie starts laughing. >> all of a sudden, the baby just goes -- [ maniacal laughing ] like out of nowhere the kid is full on maniacal laugh about biting the kid's finger. >> he found it funny because either i was finding it funny or the whole experience made him laugh. >> howard, the first to witness what millions would come to see and love, shows the video to his and love, shows the video to his and love, shows the video to his and love, shows the video to his

wife when she returns home. >> i thought it was funny. we put it on our digital photo frame for a few weeks and we showed it to friends and family when they visited. >> but howard wants to show the video to a few friends in the states, including the boys' godfather. his friends suggest uploading it to the internet. at first, the video only receives a few hundred hits, but within a few months, it begins to double, almost daily, and howard's video soars off the charts when it reaches a million hits in 2007. >> we just can't imagine that kind of thing happening. >> and it's become a whopper. since its original posting, the video of a moment between his two sons sitting on their living room chair has earned more than 130 million hits. >> when millions of people start watching, there's something you can't really comprehend. i think it's so popular because it appeals to everybody. >> there's an innocence about it i think that people can really relate to, and i think there's just a realness to it that everybody loves. plus, it's funny, let's face it. >> it's become so popular, there are several spoofs. >> ouch, charlie, ouch, ouch. >> harry and charlie may have one of the top viral videos of

all time, but they'd better watch out for a new young star. in 2008, baby brother jasper joined the family, and he's already proving to be quite the biter. >> jasper seems to have taken onboard as well, and jasper now enjoys going around and biting people's fingers. coming up -- have you ever wondered how to do the moonwalk? >> certain things aren't that hard if you know how to do them. >> that and a cat on the keyboard. >> she brings up her left paw and begins playing with the other paw. i think that's remarkable. >> when "caught on camera: viral video - millions served" continues. ♪[ soft holiday music ]♪ can you help me up? [ snow intensifies ] [ sleighbells ring in the distance ]

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do a magic trick or skateboard like a pro? well, now you can find all you need to know right in the comfort of your own home because a new phenomenon is taking the internet by storm. >> great, great stuff. >> viral videos, more informative than absurd. >> you might watch this video and learn a little something. >> they're how-to videos, and they can teach you how to do just about anything. >> how to carve a pumpkin. >> how-to videos are instructional and educational videos that can show you how to do something. you can find a video how to treat a mosquito bite or maybe a video on how to go on your next vacation. >> from tiling bathroom floors to curing gum disease, there are thousands of how-to videos to choose from. gregory believes how-to videos are so popular because they make things simple for people to learn. >> step one. >> text articles are great for learning how to do certain things, but a lot of people learn visually, and videos

sometimes exaplain things you wouldn't be able to get out of an article. >> take skateboarding, for example. >> there's a skateboarder, and he's walking through the trick. one of the best parts is through the end it slows it down so you can see the full trick executed. >> daniel blackman, chief operating officer of "how cast" another how-to site, says even the mysterious art of flirting can be taught in a two-minute video. >> use these proven methods to charm and seduce. >> beging with a bright smile. >> also picking up the cues to see if someone's flirting with you. >> someone who can't take their eyes off you is very intriguing. >> it's definitely told from a woman's perspective because i think a lot of these tips, if they were given to a guy, he might be arrested. >> just keep it above the belt. >> if you're flirting with someone and their feet are pointed toward you or away, there are indications. so there all these subtle clues that you can use. >> happy hunting. >> daniel says the how-tos of making a how-to video follow a

pretty straightforward formula. >> don't look now, but you're juggling. >> take, for example, this video on how to moonwalk. >> there's a short video. >> unlike the hustle and the macarena, the moonwalk still has street cred. >> there are two things you will need. >> you will need a slippery floor, optional, socks. step one, find a floor good for sliding, like hardwood or smooth tile. >> usually punctuated by a tip. >> remember to apply pressure to whichever foot is raised. >> then we end with a little fact. >> michael jackson got the idea for the moonwalk from french mime marcel marceau. >> how do these ho-to guys come up with these topics? >> a lot of it's demand-based on what's going on around the internet, our own usage, competitive analysis. >> we look for what people are searching for. what they're searching for online might be different than what they're viewing on television, so that becomes very important. >> world events, like the death of pop legend michael jackson, significantly impact what people search for on the web.

after he died, "how to moonwalk" earned more than a million hits. >> a newsworthy event happens, and there's a video topic that we've done or someone else has done, something that was captures the zeitgeist of the moment, that can go viral. >> some are about simple things like how to pick a lock. >> locked yourself out of a house? before you call a locksmith, try this. >> or how to treat a mosquito bite. >> three, make a paste of baking soda and water. >> so i think things become popular because they're practical and useful. there's going to be people who want to remodel something in their house or cook something, learn how to do a skateboard trick, so that information's always going to always be useful. >> and as long as there's a need to learn, how-to videos will be there. >> certain things aren't that hard if you know how to do them and you have clear, concise information. it's all about achievement, ultimately. i've figured out how to do something, and that makes me feel good.

coming up -- a clever cat can't keep her paws off the piano. >> we're like, oh, my, god. oh, my god. look at this. nora, what are you doing? >> a surprising inspiration for a symphony. when "caught on camera: viral video - millions served" returns.symphony, when "caught camera: viral videos -- millions served" returns. ok. we'll start looking for an suv... "fire' by firenze" "sir?" start your search online with over 35,000 carmax quality certified used cars. carmax. start here. doepresentation filled you with optimism? then you might be gearcentric. right now, all printers are on sale. plus great deals on hp ink and toner. office depot & officemax.

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♪ just when you think you've seen everything, a cat plays the piano. >> she's actually playing a song. i think, what is she playing? "chopsticks," or she's playing something. >> she's doing, like, two paws at a time. it's amazing, amazing. ♪ >> say hello to nora. the 6-year-old gray bull's-eye tabby cat. besides eating, sleeping, and playing with toys, nora just so happens to enjoy making music. >> she brings up her left paw and begins playing with the

other paw. i think that's remarkable. ♪ >> remarkable is right. nora's piano performances are posted all over the internet. she's been so successful, her videos have received more than 20 million hits. >> i don't know when the cat party got elected, but the internet has embraced cats like nothing i've ever seen. >> it all begins in 2004, when artsist betsy alexander and her husband go to petsmart to buy food for their five cats. >> there was an animal shelter where we shop for pet food, and all the cats were out playing. and nora was playing by herself. she was a kitten, and i immediately fell in love with her. >> betsy got very excited about her, wanted me to come see her, come and hold her, and i was very resistant to doing that. >> burnell doesn't really want to add another cat to the family. >> i didn't want to get like really attached. >> but betsy is so smitten with

the kitten, they decide to adopt her. a few days later when betsy and burnell return to the shelter to collect nora, they noticed something very different about her. >> she was by herself in hcage with this big index card that says "bossy." >> and that's how they learned nora is not good with other cats. as a biter, she's always housed separately, but betsy is sure this won't happen in her home. >> we have five full grown cats there. we'll show her her place. >> boy, is she wrong. nora takes charge of the other cats and quickly turns the place whiskers over tail. >> nora was so disruptive in this household. for six months, it sounded like we had a house of snakes living here. screaming, hissing, growling. it did not stop for six months. i was really starting to get worried. >> but after the sixth month,

things began to quiet down and the other cats learned to work around the new boss of the house. >> nora would never be in the same room with them. they basically have learned to sort of stay clear of her. >> she's a diva. she likes to just do her own thing and be left alone to do it. >> nora often retreats to the piano studio and watches betsy give piano lessons to her piano students. >> very obsessed with the piano from day one. she would go underneath the piano while they were playing, she would dance in circles on top of the piano while they were playing. she would look over their sheet music while they were playing. >> and one night, the passionate puss died to take music-making into her own hands, or paws. >> burnell and i were upstairs, and we heard this plink, plink, plink, plink, repeated notes, like two notes together. >> to their shock and delight, nora's playing. >> we saw nora sitting at the

piano, in perfect little posture with both paws on the keys playing with both paws alternating, reaching for black notes, and she would play, you know, five or six notes, a little riff, and then look over at us, like, you know, how was that? >> we just totally lost it. we're like, oh, my god! oh, my god! look at this! nora, what are you doing? ♪ >> betsy believes this is just an isolated incident, but for nora, this is just the beginning. >> she started playing every day and started doing it during the piano students' lessons. >> nora becomes a neighborhood hit. betsy also wants to show nora's performances to her niece in wyoming. some of her young students suggest youtube. >> i said youtube, what's that? that's how out of it burnell and i are. the first day it has 71 hits. and then it just started growing. we're like, what is this? we didn't even know the term

viral video. we just went crazy. and then the next thing you know, it's a million. >> nora's videos are so popular they come to the attention of a lithuanian composer named mindrogas piatritis. >> he performed for the chamber orchestra in lithuania for children. he wanted to do an orchestra piece that is based on nora's playing the riffs that she plays. >> and thus, the "catcerto" is born. ♪ >> yeah, i think this is the first time a concerto has probably been written for an animal. i think this piece could only exist because of the internet. >> when posted on the internet, the "catcerto" receives more than 1 million hits. and in october 2009, nora wins an aspca award for cat of the year.

>> what an honor. >> this dog eat dog world, it's nice to see a cat succeed. >> betsy and burnell are creating t-shirts, calendars and books featuring nora. >> i'm going to write a positive life philosophy book from nora's stand. it's called "nora: the piano cat's guide to life for how to make every day a catnip day." >> and they hope her music will continue to inspire people all over the world for years to come. >> she's like a little miracle that's actually happening. she has a lot of piano-playing years ahead of her, but even when that's over, those videos will live on. >> can you play some more? >> there's really no formula for creating a popular viral video. they can be caught on camera any time, anywhere. and as you've seen, they can star just about anyone. if you have a video you'd like to send to us, you can logon to

caughtoncamera.msnbc.com. i'm contessa brewer. that's it for this edition of "caught on camera." they patrol our streets, our highways, our borders, where anything can happen. >> we're having a baby. >> from birth to death. >> it was, like, a tremendous explosion. >> and everything in between. >> stop the car! >> i'm, like, i've got to do something. i've got to do something quick. >> officers of the law see it all. >> a very young male driver. and i'm talking young. >> and so do their cameras. >> there's going to be a killing tonight. >> the eyewitnesses that never lie. >> i got the police report and i was, like, lie.