The 2010 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees are: ABBA, Genesis, The Hollies, Jimmy Cliff and The Stooges.

The induction ceremony will take place on March 15, 2010 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. The ceremony will be again be broadcast by the Fuse Network.

This year, there are twelve nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and just five of them will be inducted. We've done the math, and there are 792 different combinations possible of the five inductees. Here are the five we're predicting will be honored on March 15th:

• KISS: Yes, one of the biggest Rock Hall snubs will likely be rectified this year.
• The Hollies: After waiting 20 years to get nominated, Graham Nash's first band will probably get in on their first try.
• ABBA: One of the biggest bands in the world will get in this year. They were nominated in 2003, but the competition was stiffer then.
• Darlene Love: Only 19% of our voters put her on their ballots, but our voters probably didn't get personally lobbied by Bruce Springsteen. This feels similar to the Ronettes nomination in 2007.
• Genesis: If Genesis gets inducted, they will be the first prog rock act inducted since Pink Floyd in 1996.

We're predicting that the Red Hot Chili Peppers, LL Cool J, Laura Nyro, Donna Summer, The Stooges, Jimmy Cliff, and The Chantels will all have to try again next year.

Over 2400 Future Rock Legends voters cast their ballots in the 2010 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame poll. The top five vote getters are Genesis (on 69% of ballots), ABBA (65%), KISS (63%), The Stooges (55%), and Red Hot Chili Peppers (55%). [The last two years, FRL voters have accurately predicted three out of the five inductees.]

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will announce the official 2010 inductees soon. Keep checking Future Rock Legends for all of the latest Rock & Roll Hall of Fame news. You can also follow us on Twitter.

The big Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary concerts are this week in New York City, and new names are being added to the lineup almost daily. While all of the headliners are Hall of Famers, some of the more recent additions to the lineup aren't yet eligible for the Rock Hall. Does participation in an event like this bode well for an artist's chances of getting inducted into the Hall of Fame in the future?

Let's take a look at who these artists are:

• Tom Morello (performing with Bruce Springsteen) - His best shot at induction is clearly with Rage Against the Machine, not with the now-defunct Audioslave. Morello inducted the Clash into the Rock Hall in 2003, so he's no stranger to Rock Hall events.
• John Legend (performing with Stevie Wonder) - It seems like Legend is always available for big industry events such as this, but he has a long way to go before he becomes a serious Rock Hall contender himself.
• Lenny Kravitz (performing with Aretha Franklin) - The Rock Hall won't hold it against you if you've sold a lot of records, but that certainly doesn't guarantee induction. Kravitz's career got off to a quick start, but has gone off the rails a bit this decade.
• Annie Lennox (performing with Aretha Franklin) - The Eurythmics have been eligible since 2006, and have been seriously considered by the Nominating Committee, so they have a very good chance at getting in someday. Lennox's solo career has been good, but not Hall of Fame-worthy (yet).
• Update: Darlene Love (performed with Bruce Springsteen) - Love is nominated this year for the Rock Hall, so she may be a Hall of Famer soon enough.
• Update: Peter Wolf (performed with Bruce Springsteen) - Wolf is close friends with the many of the guys on the Nominating Committee, and the J. Geils band was nominated a few years ago, so it's always a possibility he could get in.
• Update: Black Eyed Peas (performed with U2) - The BEP are currently touring with U2, so that's likely how they got involved. Future Rock Hall prospects are pretty slim.

Here is the list of participating Hall of Famers: Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Simon and Garfunkel, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Metallica, Jeff Beck, Aretha Franklin, U2, Little Anthony & the Imperials, Dion, Billy Joel, Ozzy Osbourne, Smokey Robinson, Sting, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, John Fogerty, Ray Davies, BB King, Buddy Guy, Mick Jagger, Billy Gibbons, Lou Reed, Jackson Browne, James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt.

The concert won't be televised or webcast live, but there will be a four-hour HBO special in November and a DVD release next year.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame expert Charles Crossley, Jr. offered up his analysis of the 2010 nominees over on his message board.

So, let's break up these nominees and examine them based on different criteria, with an emphasis on the criteria people have claimed in the past made a difference about who gets nominated. First, by subgenre:

1 pop/rock act (ABBA)
1 vocal harmony act (The Chantels)
1 reggae act (Jimmy Cliff)
1 prog act (Genesis)
1 folk rock act (The Hollies)
1 metal/hard rock act (KISS)
1 rap act (LL Cool J)
1 girls group act (Darlene Love)
1 singer-songwriter (Laura Nyro)
1 alternative funk act (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
1 proto-punk act (The Stooges)
1 disco act (Donna Summer)

So, this year, like last year, each nominee represents a distinctly different subgenre of rock.

Next, by members. Question marks (?) wonders if these members will be added. Any members not listed will not be inducted:

ABBA (Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Anderssen, Anni-Frid "Frida" Lyndstag)

The Chantels (Arlene Smith, Sonia Goring, Rene Minus, Jackie Landry, Lois Harris)

Jimmy Cliff (himself)

Genesis (Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, Peter Gabriel, Anthony Phillips (?), John Phillips (?), John Mayhew (?), Phil Collins, Steve Hackett)

The Hollies (Graham Nash, Allan Clarke, Anthony Hicks, Eric Haydock (?), Robert Elliott, Bernard Calvert, Terry Sylvester, Mikael Rikfors (?))

KISS (Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, Eric Carr (?), Vinnie Vincent (?), Mark St. John (?), Bruce Kulick (?), Eric Singer (?))

LL Cool J (himself)

Darlene Love (herself)

Laura Nyro (herself)

Red Hot Chili Peppers (Flea, Jack Irons (?), Anthony Keidis, Hillel Slovak (?), Jack Sherman (?), Cliff Martinez (?), John Frusciante, Chad Smith, Dave Navarro (?))

The Stooges (Iggy Pop, Ron Asheton, Dave Alexander, Scott Asheton, James Williamson)

Donna Summer (herself)

Next, by previous inductions. Clyde McPhatter was the first person to be inducted more than once into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, as a soloist and as a member of the first incarnation of the Drifters. So, when someone is inducted more than once, we say he has joined the Clyde McPhatter club. So, notice the name in bold above? Poised to join the Clyde McPhatter club this year is:

Graham Nash, who is a member of the Hollies, and who was previously inducted with Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1997.

Next, by race:

White: 6, possibly 7
ABBA, Genesis, the Hollies, KISS, Laura Nyro and the Stooges. Possibly Red Hot Chili Peppers unless Cliff Martinez or Dave Navarro are inducted with them.

Black: 5 The Chantels, Darlene Love, Jimmy Cliff, LL Cool J and Donna Summer

Mixed: possibly 1
Possibly Red Hot Chili Peppers if Cliff Martinez or Dave Navarro are inducted with them.

Next, by gender:

Male: 28 at least and maybe up to 43, depending if any of the members with question marks by their names are inducted.

Women: 9

Next, by nationality based on place of birth:
One Australian (Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers)
One, possibly two, Israelis (Gene Simmons of KISS and Hillel Slovak of Red Hot Chili Peppers)
One Jamaican (Jimmy Cliff)
Four, possibly five Swedes (All the members of ABBA and Mikael Rikfors of the Hollies) Eleven, possibly sixteen, Brits
The rest were born in the United States of America, and by and large most of them were born in one of the burroughs of New York.

Next, by the number of top 40 hits on the Billboard 100:

ABBA: 14
The Chantels: 4
Jimmy Cliff: 2
Genesis: 17
The Hollies: 12
KISS: 9
LL Cool J: 14
Darlene Love: 2, unless you count all the hits she recorded with the Blossoms under other names
Laura Nyro: Of course not; that's why everybody else had hits with her songs!
Red Hot Chili Peppers: 7
The Stooges: 0
Donna Summer: 20

Next, by dead members. Currently, there are 5, maybe 6:

The Chantels (Jackie Landry)
KISS (if they include Eric Carr)
Laura Nyro
The Stooges (Dave Alexander, Ron Asheton)
Red Hot Chili Peppers (Hillel Slovak)

Next, by number of years eligible:

ABBA, 10th year of eligibility
The Chantels, 27th year of eligibility
Jimmy Cliff, 21st year of eligibility
Genesis, 16th year of eligibility
The Hollies, 21st year of eligibility (a cover of the Coasters' "Searchin'")
LL Cool J, 1st year of eligibility
Darlene Love, 21st year of eligibility
Laura Nyro, 18th year of eligibility
Red Hot Chili Peppers, 1st year of eligibility
The Stooges, 16th year of eligibility
Donna Summer, 13th year of eligibility (a cover of "Sally Go 'Round The Roses")

Next, number of times nominated, including years nominated:

ABBA - two times (2002, 2009)
The Chantels - two times (2001, 2009)
Jimmy Cliff - one time
Genesis - one time
The Hollies - one time
LL Cool J - one time
Darlene Love - two times (1998, 2009)
Laura Nyro - one time
Red Hot Chili Peppers - one time
The Stooges - eight times (1996, 1997, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009) Donna Summer - two times (2007, 2009)

The previous two years, there were nine nominees, three of which were previous nominees. This year, there are twelve nominees, five of which were previous nominees. The nominators favor groups that have never been nominated over those who have, as do the voters.

Writing on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame blog yesterday, Jim Henke, Rock Hall Chief Curator and Nominating Committee Member, revealed some interesting tidbits about this year's nominations, but not the actual nominees.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Nominating Committee – a diverse group made up of about 30 rock and roll experts, including music executives, music journalists, historians and even a couple of musicians – met in New York City this past Wednesday to compile the ballot for the next Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee election.

The only news here is that the Nominating Committee met on September 9th. Next, Henke explains the nomination process:

Each member of the [Nominating Committee] can suggest up to three potential nominees. In addition, there are three subcommittees – one on progressive rock and heavy metal, one on hip-hop and one on early rock and rollers and rhythm & blues – that convene prior to the big meeting and suggest potential nominees in those categories.

Henke confirms that the Rock Hall is utilizing the genre subcommittees again this year after they were introduced last year. By acknowledging the specific groups, one could reasonably deduce that the there will be at least one nominee on the ballot from each of the three subcommittees.

The big question here is why is the Rock Hall lumping together prog rock and heavy metal? What do they have in common other than the fact they're both underrepresented in the Hall of Fame? It's possible that the genre subcommittee members are fluent in both metal and prog, so they're just combined into one, but that still seems strange. Metallica filled this slot on the ballot last year, leaving the prog rock selection, Yes, without a nomination. Perhaps that changes this year.

Henke also divulges new criteria for becoming a Hall of Famer:

The only official eligibility requirement is that an artist must have released his or her first record at least 25 years ago. Beyond that, the committee evaluates the influence an artist has had on rock and roll, the longevity of the artist’s career and the overall importance. Unlike sports halls of fame, where one can point to the statistics an athlete compiled over the course of his career, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is not based on numbers. In fact, record sales play a very small role in determining who is nominated. As a result, it’s all very subjective. And all of the members of the Nominating Committee are very passionate about their suggestions.

The key line there is that the Nominating Committee evaluates, "the longevity of the artist's career and the overall importance." We have never officially heard that "longevity" is part of the induction criteria, but it's always been a part of our "induction chances" calculations.

Henke continues with more news about this year's ballot:

This year the committee members discussed a very wide range of artists – from those whose careers began in the Fifties to some who are still very active. Overall, more than 50 potential nominees were discussed and debated. Then a ballot listing all of the artists was distributed and each member got to vote for their top 15 artists. That vote determined who will go on the ballot, which is then distributed to the Hall of Fame’s voters – a group that includes all living inductees, as well as various executives, journalists, historians and the like. In the end, 12 artists made the ballot, and five will ultimately be inducted into the Hall of Fame. I can’t say who the nominees are, but I was very happy with the results – it’s a very diverse group of artists in terms of musical styles, eras, etc. But stay tuned – the nominees’ names will be made public soon.

The Rock Hall had nominated just nine artists the previous three years, so bumping up to 12 this year is a welcome development, and one we have been lobbying for.

Look for the official announcement of the nominees to happen within the next couple of weeks.

Roger Friedman, former Fox News columnist and now Hollywood Reporter blogger, reports that David Geffen will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, presumably in the Non-Performer category. Friedman also writes that Universal Music Group head Doug Morris will be honored in 2011. Both Geffen and Morris were disciples of the late Ahmet Ertegun, whom the Non-Performer award is now named after.

This Saturday night, the 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will air live from Cleveland's Public Auditorium on the Fuse network and Fuse.tv. We're heading to Cleveland to cover the ceremony and will be posting updates to Future Rock Legends via our Twitter feed, which you can read and comment on here.

Also be sure to check out the coverage at Cleveland.com, where they'll be exclusively webcasting some pre-ceremony events.

Joel Peresman, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame president and CEO, opened up to MSNBC about the induction process. Read our take here.

Darryl "DMC" McDaniels will perform without his partner Reverend Run, the morning of the induction ceremony at the Hard Rock Café in Cleveland. It will be a "Rock & Roll Brunch" and $15 gets you brunch plus the show. Hopefully this means that Run-DMC will perform together at the induction ceremony later that evening, but that has yet to be confirmed.

In other Rock Hall performance news, Rolling Stone spoke to Jason Newsted about his involvement in the induction ceremony with his old band Metallica.

“I wanted everything to be righteous, because I feel strongly that they have a powerful touring band that’s firing on all cylinders now,” he says. “There’s not a lot of bands that get inducted into the Hall that can still f*cking knock it down. We’re all still clear-eyed and clear-minded and able-bodied, and all that, so its not something that always happens. We’re getting called out pretty early, so for us to be strong and capable to still mow everybody down, as it would be expected, is a fantastic thing.”

With Metallica's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year, it may give other metal pioneers hope that they will someday be inducted as well. Kerry King from Slayer is skeptical about his band ever getting honored.

"Only because... Didn't Metallica get in this year or last year or something? And I'm like, oh yeah, they've experienced and experimented with more of a pop angle, so I can definitely see them," he said. "Whether our time comes and people say, 'You're going to go into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.' I'd kind of be surprised if we did because we are the anti-everything."

Slayer are one of the "big four" bands of thrash metal, along with Metallica, Anthrax and Megadeth, so they may have a good chance of getting in if the Hall of Fame ever decides to widen its net to cover heavier rock genres. Future Rock Legends currently gives Slayer a 30% chance of future induction.

FoxNews.com reporter Roger Friedman writes today of a rumored show to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Who’s going to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cleveland on April 4th? The answer is: who knows? It might be just the right time to visit and see all the good work Terry Stewart’s done out there despite the hideous Hall of Fame foundation. People were wondering why Jann Wenner banished the annual dinner to Cleveland this year. Now we know why: sources say the New York gang is readying a 25th anniversary blowout at Madison Square Garden for this November. Look for high ticket prices and lots of exclusion even among the existing inductees…

Needless to say, we'll be keeping an eye on this as things develop. We'll try to find out more when we head to Cleveland next week.

This is old news, but we missed it at the time. In this interview with Highbrid Nation, Mele Mel gets asked what he thought about the choice of Jay-Z as an inductor when Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were honored at the 2007 ceremony (skip ahead to the 5:40 mark).

The 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony is fast approaching and there are still a couple of open questions still hanging out there.

Two months ago we asked if Run-DMC would be performing at the induction ceremony, because they haven't performed together since the death of Jam Master Jay in 2002. There still hasn't been an official announcement on the issue, but RollingStone.com continues to assume they'll be performing.

Last week, all of the presenters were announced for the event, except for the name of the person who will be inducting Wanda Jackson. We're guessing Elvis Costello wasn't available? Jackson herself still doesn't know. When asked about it yesterday she said, “I don’t know that. I’m just planning on not fainting — I’m going to hold on to somebody.”

We'll be sure to update you as we get answers to these questions in the next couple weeks.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has a new website, Rock Immortal (not to be confused with rockimmortals.com), where you can share your photo and video tributes to the 2009 inductees. [Watch out for the slow-loading Flash content and the swirling guitar picks.]

Fuse also has a special page set up for the 2009 induction ceremony, which they'll be broadcasting live online as well as on cable.

Former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted has been invited by Metallica to perform with them at this year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Kirk Hammett told About.com that Newsted will "most likely" perform with the band. Hammett continued, "He put in 14 years with Metallica, so I think there’s no reason for him not to be there." James Hetfield also weighed in:

"We wanted to invite everyone who was involved with Metallica," says Hetfield. "You know, the drama that goes around the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is pretty ridiculous most of the time. We’re trying to avoid that. We are a band that’s alive and feeling good and still creating, and we want it to be a family reunion. We’ve invited pretty much everyone from our first drum roadie to the head of the record company now, and all in between. We put the invite out there and anyone is welcome."

Hetfield also continues to discuss other artists who he feels should be inducted but have never even been put on the ballot by the Nominating Committee.

"We’re very honored to be recognized. There’s a whole genre around us that hopefully we can invite through the door. Hopefully there will be recognition for some of the bands that have changed music and changed people’s lives. That’s what I think the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame should be about. There are certainly a lot of bands that aren’t in there that I can’t belive aren’t: Motorhead, Rush, Judas Priest, Deep Purple. But for us to be in there, hopefully we can bring some awareness to heavy stuff."

Here are the inductees and their presenters for this year's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony (they are all first-time presenters):

• Jeff Beck - Jimmy Page
• Metalliica - Flea
• Bobby Womack - Ron Wood
• Run-DMC - Eminem
• Little Anthony & the Imperials - Smokey Robinson
  
  
• D.J. Fontana - Max Weinberg
• Bill Black - Garry Tallent
• Spooner Oldham - Paul Shaffer
  
  
• Wanda Jackson - TBD

It was previously reported that Aerosmith would be inducting Run-DMC, but that turns out not to be the case. Eminem is an interesting choice because in some ways he represents the result of the mainstream hip-hop crossover that Run-DMC achieved as a result of their landmark collaboration with Aerosmith on "Walk This Way."

Although Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers may not seem like an obvious choice for inducting Metallica, guitarist Kirk Hammett approves. "It's cool that he's not in a heavy metal band but is a well-respected musician you might not expect," Hammett said. Flea may just be checking out the stage for next year, since his band is a heavy favorite for induction in 2010.

The 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony is being held in Cleveland this year for just the second time in 24 years, and this will be the first time the event is open to the public. Tickets to the ceremony quickly sold out after they went on sale, however the Fuse network will be broadcasting the event live on cable and also at Fuse.tv.

Future Rock Legends will be in Cleveland to cover the event live and will be posting updates during the ceremony.

What are your plans for the ceremony? Did you score tickets to the ceremony? Traveling from out of town? Let us know if you're coming and perhaps we'll see you there.

Dave Mustaine, Megadeth frontman and one of the first members of Metallica, has finally made a statement regarding his former band's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Mustaine posted an open letter on Megadeth's website.

"Metallica, as you know, has been selected to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. So, it is with much respect that I say congratulations!

"I also had the nice surprise of hearing that they called to invite me to the pre-ceremony party the night before, and then to the actual ceremony. Unfortunately, as you all know, I will be winding down our European tour with Judas Priest, so I will be unable to attend. However, I'd like to say to Lars (Ulrich) and James (Hetfield), I am so very proud of all you have accomplished. I will continue to pray for the very best for you and your families, as I always have.

"Thank you for the invitation and thinking of me."

It sounds like Metallica have handled this situation with class and Mustaine responded in kind. It's nice to see they're able to put their contentious years behind them.

The latest issue of Rolling Stone has a five-star review of the new U2 album, which led us to wonder when the last time the magazine gave a five-star review to a non-Rock and Roll Hall of Fame artist. Over the years, we noticed that they seem to reserve the perfect rating for artists who have already cemented their legendary status (Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan come to mind). When was the last time the magazine went out on a limb to anoint an album of new material an instant classic?

For our purposes, we're excluding five-star reviews of reissues and compilations, which Rolling Stone hands out fairly regularly and generally are given to artists that are already determined to be "immortals." So let's find the five-star reviewed albums by artists before they were eligible for the Rock Hall. Here are the five-star reviewed albums by non-Rock and Roll Hall of Famers since 1986 (in reverse chronological order):

• Kanye West - Late Registration, 2005
• The White Stripes - Elephant, 2003
• Beck - Sea Change, 2002
• R.E.M. - Automatic for the People, 1992 (inducted in 2007)
• Metallica - Metallica, 1991 (inducted in 2009)
• Pixies - Doolittle, 1989
• N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton, 1988
• Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation, 1988
• U2 - The Joshua Tree, 1987 (inducted in 2005)
• Prince - Sign O the Times , 1987 (inducted in 2005)
• R.E.M. - Document, 1987 (inducted in 2007)
• Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction, 1987
• The Smiths - The Queen is Dead, 1986
• Run-DMC - Raising Hell, 1986 (inducted in 2009)
• Paul Simon - Graceland, 1986 (inducted in 2001)

As you can tell, Rolling Stone is extremely judicious in handing out five star reviews, but when they do, they have a good track record of picking artists who eventually end up in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And of the artists who are not in yet, it's difficult to find any who won't likely end up enshrined in Cleveland someday. The only two artists on the list who are eligible and not in the Rock Hall are The Smiths (eligible since 2008) and Sonic Youth (eligible since 2007). Neither group has received much attention from the Nominating Committee yet, but that is likely to change in the coming years.

One other thing to note is that there is only one debut album on the list (Appetite for Destruction). Usually, the five-star reviewed album follows other notable work from the artist, so Rolling Stone isn't gambling its reputation on a previously unknown artist.

Major thanks go out to Erik J. Heels who has been tracking these five star reviews for many years now. We'll be sure to take note of any new five-star reviews in the future.

Update: We removed Pavement's Slanted & Enchanted from the list above. That album didn't get its five-star review until the reissue came out. Can anyone confirm the others were all from their initial review?

Wanda Jackson is a 2009 inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the "Early Influence" category, and apparently that distinction means she doesn't get to pick who will give the speech in her honor.

Q: Who's doing your induction speech? Don't you get to choose?

A: We thought the artist would have that option. We found out in these special categories - see, I'm in "early influence" - the people that head up these various categories are the ones who choose who's the presenter for each artist, so I put in my request for who I wanted. Elvis Costello was the first one who became an advocate for me. He wrote a rather stinging letter to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but anyway he and Bruce Springsteen have spoken out for me.

We would be surprised if doesn't turn out to be Elvis Costello who inducts her. As Jackson mentions, Costello was one of the squeaky wheels that got the Nominating Committee's attention. Jackson's husband / manager also started actively campaigning for her "a few years ago," which might explain how she received her first nomination in 2005 after being overlooked for 20 years.

James Hetfield of Metallica feels a little guilty about his band's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year, when so many of his greatest influences haven't been recognized yet. Hetfield mentioned earlier that he would like to see Motörhead get in someday, and now he's stumping for arguably two of the biggest snubbed bands out there, Rush and Kiss.

Hetfield expressed some embarrassment at being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame before some acts who were an inspiration for Metallica. Metallica will be made a member of the illustrious club on April 4.

"We've been nominated and we are still alive," he said.

"It's ironic that a band that has been inspired by all of these other ones are getting in there before them. We are going to go up there and kick some ass and kick the door down for some heavy bands that have not been recognized, like Rush and Kiss."

Hetfield will have the chance to influence future inductions because as a Hall of Famer he gets to be on the Voting Committee. However, the importance of the voters has greatly diminished over the last few years because there are fewer artists placed on the ballot by the super-influential Nominating Committee. This year, two thirds of the artists who were on the ballot will be inducted.

Jimmy Page will induct his former Yardbirds bandmate Jeff Beck into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the April 4th induction ceremony in Cleveland.

It is also being reported that Aerosmith will have the honor of inducting Run-DMC at the ceremony.

Darryl "DMC" McDaniels made the rounds with the local media yesterday, talking about Run-DMC's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and he managed to make a little news during one interview. Appearing on radio station WAAF-FM, DMC was asked who should induct the rap act. "It's a no-brainer if Aerosmith does it," said McDaniels. "I hope they're listening. It's their hometown." Wisely, the station immediately rang up Joey Kramer, and asked the Aerosmith drummer if he might do the intro. Of course, Kramer said. Run-DMC's 1986 LP "Raising Hell" was one of the biggest-selling rap albums of all time, thanks to the cover of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way."

There is still no word on who the presenters will be for Little Anthony & the Imperials, Bobby Womack and Metallica.

Tickets to the ceremony sold out within minutes of going on sale to the public, but can be still be had for around $500 for a pair of seats on Ebay.

Thanks, Daryl.

Future Rock Hall is now Future Rock Legends. Nothing has changed except for the name. Please update your bookmarks, favorites and RSS subscriptions.

What was previously reported to be the UK Rock and Roll Hall of Fame now appears to have become the British Music Experience, and will open to the public in March of this year. The museum will be on the top floor of the O2 arena, aka the Millennium Dome.

Th BME's website states they will be "dedicated to the history of popular music in Britain," and it appears that non-British artists will be left out, so it's not exactly duplicating what the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame does.

Harvey Goldsmith, the chairman of the museum had this to say:

"When I first started this I saw the Rock and Roll hall of fame in America to reflect genres and we really needed something like this in the UK, a home for all of the history of UK talent and artists that make their name in the UK.

"We have such a wealth of talent from the Beatles to Led Zeppelin to the Rolling Stones to The Who, its just endless how many great acts we've produced. It's important for us to reflect, look back and entertain something about music has developed."

Fortunately, the article also mentions there will be holographs prominently involved (such as our mockup of the Beatles above), so that's something to be excited about.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame watcher Charles Crossley, Jr. maintains a list of members of what he calls "The Clyde McPhatter Club" which consists of artists who have been inducted multiple times. The 2009 inductions will add two members to the group, Jeff Beck (previously with the Yardbirds) and Sam Strain of the Imperials (previously with O'Jays). Here is the entire list:

• Clyde McPhatter (inducted solo in 1987 and with the Drifters in 1988)
• Eric Clapton (with the Yardbirds in 1992, with Cream in 1993, solo in 2000, the only artist inducted three times)
• John Lennon (with the Beatles in 1988, solo in 1994)
• Jimmy Page (with the Yardbirds in 1992, with Led Zeppelin in 1995)
• Neil Young (solo in 1995, with Buffalo Springfield in 1997)
• David Crosby (with the Byrds in 1991, Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1997)
• Stephen Stills (with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills and Nash, both in 1997, the only artist to be inducted twice in the same year)
• Curtis Mayfield (with the Impressions in 1991, solo in 1999)
• Paul McCartney (with the Beatles in 1988, solo in 1999)
• Michael Jackson (with the Jackson 5 in 1997, solo in 2001)
• Paul Simon (with Simon & Garfunkel in 1990, solo in 2001)
• Johnny Carter (with the Flamingos in 2001, with the Dells in 2004)
• George Harrison (with the Beatles in 1988, solo in 2004)
• Jeff Beck (with the Yardbirds in 1992, solo in 2009)
• Sam Strain (with the O'Jays in 2005, with Little Anthony & the Imperials in 2009)

Who are some future potential members of this group? Ozzy Osbourne? Ringo Starr? Sting? Lou Reed? Peter Gabriel? Or, thinking much further ahead -- Jack White? Dave Grohl? Eddie Vedder? Thom Yorke?

Be sure to also check out Crossley's list of 250 top eligible artists for the Rock Hall.

Even though the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame probably won't reveal the names of the presenters of the 2009 inductees for a of couple months, it's not too early to start the speculation (hey, it's what we do). Here are some preliminary ideas:

• Metallica :: Dave Grohl - for reasons we've already discussed.
• Jeff Beck :: John Mayer - a "new guitar god" to induct an old one.
• Run-DMC :: 50 Cent - he's executive producing a documentary about his mentor, Jam Master Jay. Another great choice would be Chuck D.
• Little Anthony & the Imperials :: Billy Joel - one of Little Anthony's advocates who is no stranger to the induction ceremony.
• Bobby Womack :: Tracy Chapman - from one Cleveland native to another.
• Wanda Jackson :: Elvis Costello - the man who may be most responsible for her induction.

What do you think? Leave your predictions in the comments.

The 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be broadcast this year by the Fuse network. To help promote the new partnership with the Hall of Fame, Fuse hosted a press conference in New York to announce the 2009 inductees, with Metallica as the guests of honor.

Metallica were asked which artists they would like to see inducted -- James Hetfield wants Motörhead; Lars Ulrich wants Deep Purple; Kirk Hammett would like to see Rush; and Robert Trujillo made the case for UFO.

The question about who is getting inducted has also been answered. The current lineup will be inducted along with former bassists the late Cliff Burton and Jason Newsted. Dave Mustaine will not be included with Metallica.

It was announced yesterday that Wanda Jackson will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the "Early Influence" category. The induction is unusual for two reasons. First, she was nominated this year, and in a previous year, as a "Performer." And secondly, can should she be considered an "early influence" on rock and roll?

Regarding the voting issue, the Cleveland Plain Dealer has the story:

In another curious subplot, Jackson is being inducted as an early influence, although she was nominated as a performer on the ballot.

When Jackson didn't receive enough votes to get in as a performer, she was singled out for induction by a committee that handpicks early-influence honorees, said Joel Peresman, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation.

Sidemen inductees are selected by a separate committee.

So, presumably if Jackson had received the votes to be inducted as a "Performer," she would have been gone in under that tag. Then they would have either appointed some other early influential artist or simply not use that category this year (which isn't uncommon). As commenter Philip pointed out in the comments, other artists have been nominated as performers and later inducted in other categories (Carole King as a "Non-Performer"; King Curtis as a "Sideman"), but never has it happened in the same year. If Wanda Jackson was going to be inducted whether she won or lost the vote, then why bother taking up that valuable spot on the ballot with her name?

As to whether or not Wanda Jackson belongs in the "Early Influence" category at all, let's look at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's description of that award.

Artists whose music predated rock and roll but had an impact on the evolution of rock and roll and inspired rock’s leading artists.

Rock and roll's origins can be traced to the years just prior to the time when Jackson's career began in 1954. Wanda Jackson got her start nearly the same time Elvis Presley did, so it is strange that she is considered an "early influence" under the Rock Hall's own definition.

Let's break down the 2009 inductees one by one:

Metallica -- It should come as no surprise that Metallica was voted in the first time they appeared on the ballot. Future Rock Hall has given Metallica the highest induction chances of any artist ever since its inception even though there are very few heavy metal bands in the Hall of Fame.

Jeff Beck -- Voters clearly responded to a true guitar hero on the ballot even though most probably couldn't name a single song from his solo career. Beck is now a two time inductee since he was already in the Hall of Fame as a member of the Yardbirds.

Run-DMC -- Run-DMC are hip-hop artists who have truly transcended their genre, as evidenced by their appearance on Rolling Stone's list of 100 Immortals of Rock and Roll. Their induction shows that the Voting Committee is still willing to induct hip-hop artists even after they rejected Afrika Bambaataa and the Beastie Boys last year (who were perhaps nominated a little too soon).

Little Anthony & the Imperials -- As an artist that had been passed over by the Nominating Committee for too long, the voters took the opportunity to induct them as soon as they had the chance.

Bobby Womack -- Womack's induction was certainly the least predictable of the five, but as a Cleveland native, the Rock Hall will enjoy having a local story to promote for the hometown induction ceremony on April 4th.

Wanda Jackson -- It seems clear now that Jackson was not one of the top five vote getters from the nine nominees, but the Hall of Fame took the opportunity to induct her anyway by placing her in the Early Influence category. If her induction was going to be guaranteed this year, why did the Rock Hall bother to nominate her as a performer anyway, taking up a valuable slot on the ballot?

Here are the nominated artists who didn't get inducted this year:

The Stooges -- Seven times nominated, seven times on the outside looking in. Hopes were high this year after their show-stealing performance at the 2008 Rock Hall induction ceremony.

Chic -- Similar to The Stooges, Chic have been on the ballot multiple times without getting over the top (in their case five nominations). Chic will find its way into the Hall eventually. No artist has ever been nominated this many times and not gotten in at some point down the road (Update: except Chuck Willis).

War -- This was the first time the funk group ever made the final ballot even though they had been on the radar of the Nominating Committee for some time. Their future chances will be clearer if they can make it back on to the final ballot within the next couple of years.

Run-DMC haven't performed live since the death of Jam Master Jay seven years ago. With the announcement today that Run-DMC had been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, differing reports surfaced about whether or not the group will perform at the ceremony.

From Rolling Stone:

Run-DMC are the second rap group to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame, two years after pioneers Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five were selected for induction. "I can't even comprehend this is happening," Daryl "DMC" McDaniels tells Rolling Stone. "I want to let the world know that there are others receiving this honor with us. I'm talking about our heroes Afrika Bambaataa, Treacherous Three, the Cold Crush Brothers and DJ Kool Herc." The group's performance at the April 4th induction ceremony in Cleveland will be their since founding member Jam Master Jay was murdered seven years ago in Queens, New York.

The AP has a different story about the possibility of a performance:

Jam Master Jay — whose real name was Jason Mizell — was shot to death in his recording studio in 2002. McDaniels doesn't consider the induction bittersweet — "because Jay isn't here to celebrate doesn't mean he's not partaking in this event" — but said he couldn't see the duo performing during the April 4 induction ceremony in Cleveland without him.

"We can't do it without Jay," he said. "I want people to remember the last time they saw us together, the three of us."

Perhaps Rolling Stone's reporting was just wishful thinking, but right now it seems like Run-DMC will be content to let someone else perform their music at the Induction Ceremony.

01/17/09 Update: Reverend Run addressed the performance issue in a chat with MTV:

Reverend Run, one-third of the group, said he was honored by the recognition but still unsure if he and DMC will take to the stage despite the nod.

"I don't know, I'm leaving that in D's hands," Run told MTV News by phone Thursday. "The best comment was that working without Jam Master Jay wouldn't feel the same — I [actually] think D wrote that. So I'm just following his lead."

The reality-TV dad also said he wouldn't be interested in a younger group performing the Queens trio's hits as an homage — but he again deferred to DMC as to what exactly will take place.

A request made by MTV News to DMC for comment has not been returned as of press time.

You would hope that there will be at least some kind of performance of Run-DMC's music at the Induction Ceremony, but we'll see.

The 2009 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees were announced today. Congratulations to Metallica, Run-DMC, Jeff Beck, Little Anthony & the Imperials and Bobby Womack. They will all be honored at the induction ceremony in Cleveland on April 4, 2009. Much more on the 2009 winners here.

Future Rock Hall has learned that Metallica will be one of the five artists announced as members of the 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class when the inductees are officially revealed tomorrow, January 14th.

Wanda Jackson confirmed today to tulsaworld.com that she will be one of the five artists honored at the 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. [01/14/09 Update: The article never actually said she was voted into the Hall. We just assumed she was because, uh, she was on the ballot. Turns out she will be inducted in the "early influence" category, which is not voted upon by the 600+ member voting committee.]

“This is the big one,” [Jackson] told the Tulsa World on Friday in a telephone interview from her Oklahoma City home. “It’s turning out to be more exciting than I thought it would be.

“The main reason I wanted this is because the people I love have worked so hard to make this happen. I may get the award, but my husband and fans and people who have done so much for me all these years deserve all the credit.”

Jackson's husband and manager also mentioned that the official announcement will come "early next week" (we're hearing Tuesday will be the day).

Thanks, Philip.

Ron Asheton, the guitarist of The Stooges was found dead at his home last night.

Alongside Iggy Pop, David Alexander and his brother Scott, Ron co-wrote such classics "I Wanna Be Your Dog," "No Fun" and "1969."

At the height of the flower-power and psychedelic period of the late 1960s, Asheton pioneered an aggressive, rudimentary and stunningly loud style of playing that was the antithesis of everything popular at the time. The Stooges never achieved commercial success (their 1969 debut peaked at Number 106), but the punk acts that followed — from the New York Dolls to the Sex Pistols and the Ramones — cite them as their single biggest influence.

The Stooges are one of the nine nominees for the 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions, with the winners set to be officially announced later this month. This death on the eve of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony is all too reminiscent of the DC5's Mike Smith passing away last year, a month before he was to be inducted.

Update: Here's a quote from Asheton from this past summer about his chances of getting into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:

So is covering Madonna the closest you'll get to being in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or do you think you'll get the nod soon?

Well, to tell you the truth, it would be cool to be in there with all our heroes and people that got us into music. The Beatles were the ones who changed my life, the Beatles and the Stones, to make this life choice ... I know this, though. If we don't get it next year, we don't go in, we're not going in. I mean, what is it, five-time losers? I mean, if we don't make it this time ... And you know what? It won't break my heart. As everyone else says, it's not going to better your career. It'd be nice, but I'm not going to be heartbroken. And we kind of wear it as a badge of honor that we've been turned down.

It's almost a foregone conclusion now that Metallica will be one of the five 2009 inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The band has not been shy about talking about the honor as if it is a done deal. Here, James Hetfield talks about who would be an appropriate person to introduce the band at the induction ceremony.

The Pulse of Radio asked frontman James Hetfield if the band has given any thought to who should induct them at the ceremony if they make the cut. "It's tough," he said. "We haven't really, you know, hit the ultimate person who we'd like to have do it. It's like you want someone who actually you've inspired, and you want someone who's charismatic, who can tell their story, but also you kind of want someone that people actually know who they are. You know, I was thinking, 'Well, why don't we just get, like, the uber-fan, you know, go up there and induct us, you know. How cool would that be?' So we're still going back and forth with all of that."

So, who would be an appropriate artist to induct Metallica (you can forget about an uber-fan doing it)? Dave Grohl seems like an obvious choice -- he's famous enough, he loves metal and he loves to talk about it. Who would be your pick?

Charles A. Hohman takes a look at the 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees and attempts to find the worthiest candidates. For example:

Chic

Worthy of induction? Disco has been as if not more influential on the last thirty years of pop music than the more critically-beloved punk rock. And yet only one disco act is in the Hall of Fame: The Bee Gees. However awesome “Tragedy” and “Night Fever” are, the Brothers Gibb are white heterosexuals representing (and appropriating) a subculture rooted in blackness and gayness. And probably more than any disco act, Chic’s grooves were instrumental to hip-hop’s formative years.

But will they be? In the Wennerist mindset, “disco sucks” is still a credible theory. Credible enough to shut Chic out yet again, in favor of less deserving contenders.

Hohman personally favors Metallica, Run-DMC, Chic, The Stooges and War, but thinks that the actual inductees will be the five that we have predicted. Read the whole post here.

Toto and Rolling Stone magazine don't get along. Steve Lukather, the guitarist from Toto, spoke about their relationship with the magazine, Jann Wenner and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to Nightwatcher's House of Rock Interviews:

NHOR : I don't see [MTV] as being that interested in music anyway anymore for the most part...

SL : No, but it's just ironic because we were the 4th video ever played on MTV when they first started. We were there from the beginning. And they just shit on us. We also were the only band in history to turn down being on the cover of Rolling Stone. We told Jann Wenner to stick it up his ass.

NHOR : I guess that answers the question on whether or not Toto will ever be in The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame...

SL : We were never getting in anyway. It's amazing some of the people they're letting in now, and the people who have been left out. They put Patti Smith in there but not Deep Purple? What's the first song every kid learns how to play?

NHOR : "Smoke On The Water"...

SL : And they're not in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame? The glaring omissions...Yes, Genesis...they don't like prog rock. They don't like anybody who has any chops, basically. All of the people who SHOULD have been in there were in the first couple years. It's not like the baseball hall of fame, where it's based on stats. If you have the stats, they don't have to like you. You deserve to be in there based on what you brought to the table. But I'm not going to get too much into it, because ultimately it's a boring conversation. You know what? I've got awards. I've got two houses full of gold records. I've got to start taking them down because it starts becoming ridiculous, like my own personal mausoleum. I'm not saying it wouldn't be cool to be in there, but at the same time, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame has lost its cool because of the glaring omissions. Alice Cooper's not in there? They were the first theatrical band out there. When I was in junior high school, I went from 8th grade until 9th grade listening to 'School's Out.'

I could make up my own hall of fame that would have more credibility. It's also like Rolling Stone's 'Top 100 Guitar Players', where they leave anybody out who has any chops. Somebody even wrote a letter to them, "How come Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Lukather etc. aren't on there, and Kurt Cobain is?" Kurt Cobain was a great songwriter, but a great guitar player? I don't think so. Eddie Van Halen at #78? Gimme a break. (Laughs)

I'm just happy to have a job. I'm a musician, not a rock star. Anybody can be a rock star, apparently. It's manufactured, hyped, and that's how you become a rock star. But if you can really play, then people are actually threatened by you.

Founding member of Grand Funk Railroad, Mark Farner, had some strong words to say about his band's exclusion from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in a recent chat with Nightwatcher's House of Rock Interviews:

NHOR : What do you feel at this point are the chances of Grand Funk Railroad ever getting into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame? Why do you think the band isn't in there already?

MF : I think it's political. I think it's because we haven't obtained the brown ring around the mouth from kissing somebody's hind end. That's not who I am. I'm not going to bow to that god. It's only important to me at all for the fans, for the sake of the fans. From that viewpoint, yes. Because it is something which is supposed to be representative, but it's the same thing as where the Congress of the United States is supposed to be representative of us by coining and controlling the money. But that ain't happening either.

Future Rock Hall currently gives Grand Funk Railroad just a 12% chance at future induction.