BRET MICHAELS surprised many when images of a naked Billboard magazine shoot surfaced last week, but critics were quick to accuse the pictures of being overly-photoshopped. However, staff at the magazine have hit-back at such suggestions, claiming the shoot didn't require any special editing.
47-year-old rocker Michaels appears naked on the cover of the 'Maximum Exposure' issue, revealing a heavily toned stomach, and photographer Blair Bunting told Billboard.com, "When he took off his shirt, I was like, 'This guy's in shape for 47! It's always easy for someone to cry 'Photoshop,' so I wasn't too surprised by that...but he takes his shape seriously". After the images were first made public, Michaels admitted that he had worked out in order to prepare himself for the revealing shoot, telling E! Online, "I didn't eat for a day and I did about 2,000 sit-ups".
Billboard photo editor Amelia Halverson also defended the photos as being genuine, admitting that the magazine decided against using heavily photoshopped versions, saying "They looked too unreal, mostly because there was so much detail due to the photographer's high-definition style of lighting. The final cover version shows Bret's real muscles". Michaels' new reality show 'Life As I Know It', is set to premiere in the US on October 18th 2010 on VH1 and will focus on the family life of the former Poison frontman.