411 Music Fact or Fiction 02.04.10: Grammy Hangover, We’re Still The World & J. Lo’s Sex Tape

Posted by Mitch Michaels on 02.04.2010

Are we ready for a Jennifer Lopez/Diddy sex tape? Did Beyonce and Taylor Swift deserve their Grammys? Will the “We Are The World” remake suck? Does Dr. Murray deserve the manslaughter charge? 411’s Ryan Bates and Mitch Michaels debate these things and more in the latest 411 Music Fact or Fiction!

Howdy partners. Welcome again for yet another week of the internet's premiere debate column – 411 Music Fact or Fiction.

We've got a doozy of a fight this week, as Boxing Zone heavyweight Ryan Bates goes six rounds with me, your Music Zone Lord and Master.

Alright, let's do this!

READY?! FIGHT!!

Round 1
Now that they seem to have a stable lead singer, Drowning Pool will reach the heights they did with "Bodies".
Ryan Bates: FACT. OK, I gotta admit, metal isn't really my bag. We play metal in the boxing gym sometimes to build up energy, but beyond that I don't listen to it much. What I do know is this: a committed team makes good music. Sure, there might be some fanboys upset with the choice (I know I'm still torn from when Natalie Merchant left 10,000 Maniacs – don't judge) but for the larger populace, the people just being introduced to Drowning Pool, and those who just like good music, this can only be good news. It may take a while to gel, but it'll get there.
Mitch Michaels: FICTION. I've never been one of those people who hate on early 00's nu-metal - it was good for what it was. Drowning Pool definitely laid down a classic with "Bodies", but it's that very song that this new version of Drowning Pool is competing with. Nu-metal is dead and buried, but Drowning Pool are still hanging around – still just good for pumping up people before football games. The problem is this – those people have "Bodies" and they're not looking for something else. No matter how great they sound today, they'll never be able to top what they've already done, because what they do just isn't near as popular anymore.
Score Card: 0 for 1

Round 2
Michael Jackson's cardiologist, Dr. Conrad Murray, should not be charged with manslaughter.
Ryan Bates: FICTION. The man administered Propofol, a powerful anesthetic, and combined it with heavy sedatives to get Jackson to sleep. Really? To me, that's like taking care of an acne problem via amputation of the head. Overkill says what? Of course he should be charged with manslaughter. Let the court find out the facts and pass the judgment, but there's certainly enough reason to charge Murray with it.
Mitch Michaels: FACT. Dr. Murray shouldn't be charged with anything because he helped to bring about the biggest music story of the past decade. He's a gift from God! But seriously, Michael Jackson was a junkie and his wealth allowed him access to all sorts of screwed up drugs. That's what killed him, not some hired prescription writer. I do think Murray should lose his medical license and be disgraced, but involuntary manslaughter? That carries four years. I don't think that would have happened had he given some questionable drugs to some non-mega celebrity.
Score Card: 0 for 2

Round 3
Taylor Swift and Beyonce ruling the Grammys this year was the right thing.
Ryan Bates: FACT. Kanye West isn't around here, right? ...OK, I say FACT. Listen, it's the Grammys. There will always be someone who's upset that their favorite band or artist didn't even get nominated. I'm sure there are probably people in the boxing zone who are still shedding tears that Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s rap album hasn't been given the accolades it deserves (which would be none). So no one will ever be completely pleased with them. That's what happens when you gather the best of the best. But the point of the matter is both Swift and Beyonce put out excellent efforts this year and the Academy recognized them for it. Done is done.
Mitch Michaels: FACT. I'm all for Beyonce scoring six Grammys. She knows how to entertain, she's a hell of a singer and…have you seen her rack? Beyonce is the ultimate power player. She's got the right moves, the right man, the right people around her. For her to fail would take some serious work. Now Taylor Swift, on the other hand, I'm not sure about. Sure, she's a teen sensation, but what's there to see? She's still got the sex appeal of a fourteen year old. I thought Taylor was gonna finally show us some goods when that bikini video came out, but we have barely even gotten cleavage sense. So yeah, I'm gonna give this one a fact because of Beyonce. Taylor makes it iffy, but you just can't overpower Beyonce when it comes to drive and ambition.
Score Card: 1 for 3

SWITCH

Round 4
You have no interest in a Jennifer Lopez/Diddy sex tape.
Mitch Michaels: FICTION. Are you kidding me?!? I'll be first in line when this thing comes out, screen capping it for the zone. The only problem is that J. Lo's ex seems kind of scuzzy, which leads me to believe that these sex tapes may no longer exist and he's just trying to humiliate J. Lo. Then again, even if that's true, there's still that matter of J. Lo giving some chicks a lap dance in a video we know does exist. Either way, this story is giving me a boner.
Ryan Bates: FICTION. Wait, I'm sorry, what? I don't want to see J .Lo naked? You take that back, you sonofabitch! Especially if there's backdoor luvin'... come on, who doesn't love J. Lo's lovely lady lumps?
Score Card: 2 for 4

Round 5
A Milli Vanilli biopic will be interesting.
Mitch Michaels: FICTION. The Milli Vanilli thing was almost 20 years ago. Why are we supposed to care now? They made one album and got caught lip synching. They gave up their Grammy and then one of them killed himself. How are they going to turn that into 90 minutes of riveting cinema? It was barely worth a full episode of "Behind the Music".
Ryan Bates: FACT. I'd be more comfortable with this answer if it read "could be interesting," but it is what it is. The Milli Vanilli scandal went down in my early years, so I would definitely give it a look. I remember being quite taken aback from it when it went down, so that is enough to pique my interest. Maybe it could explain their side of it more. Maybe it could clear up the Grammy debacle. Or maybe it's just a good way to bring back "Girl, You Know It's True." Who knows?
Score Card: 2 for 5

Round 6
The "We Are The World" remake can't possibly suck more than the original.
Mitch Michaels: FICTION. As much as I hate the original version of "We Are The World" – and I do! It's dated and schmaltzy and just stupid – you can't deny that there is at least one part that everybody likes. Mine's Dylan, no matter how weird it was that he turned up. But this new version – somehow they've made it even more fake. They held it after the Grammys just to leverage people into coming, and everyone and their mother has this sense of duty to Haiti right now for some reason. So yeah, as much as the original sucked, there are plenty of reasons this one will suck more, which might somehow suck us all into a black hole – then we'll be fucked way more than Haiti ever dreamed of. Oh the irony!
Ryan Bates: FACT. And... I kinda like the original. Well, I mean in context. I would put it on repeat in my car or anything, but it's not a bad song. I mean, if you're talking celebrity collaborations, the bar is set pretty high with "I'm F*cking Ben Affleck" but still after that, it's "We Are The World." And the song has a good message. I mean, you can't really mess up a celebrity collaboration with so many voices unless Bobcat Goldwaith gets involved. I'm kinda looking forward to it.
Score Card: 2 for 6

Anything you agree with? Disagree with? Sound off in the comment section.

Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next week!