Photoshop CS5 (the new version coming out this April) will have a tool called content-aware fill which lets you remove objects from pictures very easily. The tool automagically fills in the surrounding background making it possible to manipulate objects in photos much more easily than before. Here's a video demonstration, which I think is amazing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH0aEp1oDOI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH0aEp1oDOI
