CSS filters are already in Chrome and Safari, and allow advanced styling as as blurring, warping and modifying the color intensities of elements.
Isn't it funny that the first browser to implement these "filters" was IE 4.0 [1]. And at that time using any of these filters was a bit frowned upon and amateurish. Now suddenly everyone is gung-ho about it and calling it the API that will transform the web in 2013.
Similar to how IE's box model was deemed incorrect until fast-forward today and people realized that their box model was simpler and easier to use compared to the standard. See: http://paulirish.com/2012/box-sizing-border-box-ftw/
[1] http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms532849(v=vs.85).as...