It was announced today that the cable music network Fuse signed an agreement to begin airing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, starting in 2009. They will broadcast the ceremony live for the next three years, moving back to New York City after April's show in Cleveland. No word on who will stream the ceremony live on the internet.

Presumably, this line in the article that prematurely announces the '09 "inductees" is a mistake, although it is a highly plausible list:

The 2009 inductees include Run-DMC, Metallica, Jeff Beck, Little Anthony and the Imperials, and The Stooges.

The five inductees will be officially announced in January.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies used to be a lot more fun before they began televising them. Drunken, rambling speeches, insults and two-hour jam sessions were the norm. Take, for example, Mike Love's induction speech in 1988 with the Beach Boys:

And I think it's wonderful to be here tonight, but I also think it's sad that there are other people who aren't here tonight. And, uh, those are the people who have passed away, those are the obvious ones. But the other not-so-obvious ones are people like Paul McCartney, who couldn't be here tonight because he's in a lawsuit with Ringo and Yoko. That's what he sent a telegram to some, uh, high priced attorney in this room, you know. And that's a bummer, because we're talking about harmony, right, and the world. If we can't get it together in America and in England, and harmony within our groups. I mean, believe it, you can believe it the Beach Boys have their own [unintelligible] or whatever you call it, squabbles. But that's a bummer when Ms. Ross can't make it, you know?

The Beach Boys have continued to do, about, we did about 180 performances last year. I'd like to see the Mop-Tops match that! I'd like to see Mick Jagger get out on this stage and do "I Get Around" versus "Jumpin' Jack Flash", any day now. And I'd like to see some people kick out the jams, and I challenge the Boss to get up on stage and jam.

[during Mike's pause, someone in the house band plays the theremin line of "Good Vibrations" during the crowds tepid response] I wanna see Billy Joel, see if he can still tickle ivories, lemmee see. I know Mick Jagger won't be here tonight, he's gonna have to stay in England. But I'd like to see us in the Coliseum and he at Wembley Stadium because he's always been chickenshit to get on stage with the Beach Boys.

The video of the speech was on YouTube, but sadly it has been taken down. If anyone knows where it can be seen, let us know in the comments.

In 1989, when Stevie Wonder was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at the age of 38, he became the youngest person ever to be honored. He held that distinction until 1997 when the Jackson Five were inducted. Like Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson was also 38 when he was honored with his brothers, and Jackson is still the youngest person to ever be enshrined (he beats Stevie Wonder by a few months).

Given the minimum 25 year waiting period for eligibility, it's unlikely anyone will break Michael Jackson's record anytime soon. We can't think of anyone else who began their career at an age younger than 13 who has any chance at future induction. Any contenders out there?

With the 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony less than 24 hours away, YouTube offers the chance to take look at some of the highlights from past ceremonies:

From 1995 -- Led Zeppelin (with Steven Tyler and Joe Perry):


Also from 1995 -- Neil Young & Crazy Horse (with Pearl Jam):


From 1994 -- Bruce Springsteen and Axl Rose perform "Come Together":


From 2004 -- Tom Petty and Prince pay tribute to George Harrison:

One of the most interesting aspects of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is the selection of the people who get to honor the Hall of Famers with the induction speech. Future Rock Hall has now cataloged these inductors going back to 1993. The list is loaded with rock legends past and present, and provides a glimpse into who the Rock Hall considers important. For example, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam has inducted four different artists into the Hall. As if it weren't clear enough that Pearl Jam are future inductees, that would seem to solidify it. There are a few instances where the Rock Hall picked a current artist that didn't turn out to have a Hall-worthy career (Lil Kim comes to mind).


If anyone has access to the missing data from 1986 to 1992, let us know.

As the 2007 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony approaches, it's time to take a look at the hardware the inductees will be taking away with them.
The "form [of the trophy] comprises a stylized human figure, its arms reaching over its head to hold a circular disk representing a record." Much more information on the materials and the process that goes into awards trophies here:

The Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame Award is electroplated in black nickel with a satin finish, complete with a 3x3-1/4-inch gold-plated record. The record disks (which are not cast) are added to the award between the figure's hands and mounted with an adhesive. The figure is then placed on a 3-1/2-inch-square black and white marble base, personalized with a plate that's engraved with the recipient's name. When complete, the trophy stands more than 15 inches high.