In an interview with the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Sammy Hagar let it slip that Van Halen will be one of the five inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for 2007.

"Management told me the other day we got in," Hagar said. "I'm curious to see if we actually do get inducted. I can't believe we wouldn't, looking at who else is up for it. Certainly R.E.M. deserves to be there. Certainly Patti Smith deserves to be there. The rest is probably just a matter of opinion."

All of the Rock Hall ballots have been turned in and counted, so it is likely that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame organizers have been contacting the winners to make sure they will be available for the ceremony on March 12th.

Hagar is skeptical that a Van Halen reunion with David Lee Roth will happen anytime soon, feeling that there are too many egos involved for it to work. Hagar thinks that volatility will be on display at the Rock Hall ceremony:

"I think it could be ugly," he said. "This might be the best one ever! It's what everybody wants. They want to see blows thrown and yelling and screaming and people making fools of themselves and trying to outshine each other.

"This could be a real comedy, man. This could be a reality series right here.

"I don't think it's gonna be a real friendly, beautiful scene. . . .I could go there and jam with them. Ed, Mike, Al and I probably could pull it off, 'cause we just did it [in 2004]. We were professional when we went onstage.

"But you throw Dave in that mix, and I just don't see it working. Dave's gonna want it to be all about him. Ed's gonna want it to be all about him. And that's a tough one right there. I'll probably just be sitting over in the corner, cracking up."

The Dave Clark Five are one of the nine artists up for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, and lead singer Mike Smith is honored to be nominated.

"I'm very thrilled," he said. "There is so much talent out there, and for us to even be nominated is a huge honor. We were at the beginning of the musical revolution called the British Invasion.

"In England, we had to sell a million records to just knock the Beatles off the No. 1 spot with 'Glad All Over.' We then went on to tour the world four times and played to millions of fans."

Smith has undergone some major health problems in recent years as the result of an accident that has left him unable to walk.

In other sad news, on December 17th, DC5 sax player, Denis Payton, died of cancer at the age of 63. Before he passed away, Payton had said he was thrilled by the nomination, "I know I won't be around but it was an amazing part of my life that I am very proud of."

Ahmet Ertegun, a founder of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, died on Thursday at the age of 83. From Mr. Ertegun's bio:

Ahmet was a founder of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, as well as chairman of its governing foundation. In recognition of his contributions to popular music, he was himself elected to the Hall of Fame in 1987, and the Museum’s main exhibition hall in Cleveland bears his name.

Much more on this true legend at the Atlantic Records website and Wikipedia.

The 2007 Inductees to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will be announced on Monday, January 8th. The induction ceremony will take place March 12th at the Waldorf Astoria in midtown Manhattan.

If the Future Rock Hall poll is an accurate indication of the Rock Hall Voting Committee, then R.E.M., Van Halen, Patti Smith, the Stooges, and Grandmaster Flash & the Furious FIve will be the names announced on January 8th.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum announced they will be opening a new exhibit in January dedicated to the Vans Warped Tour. The Museum is taking a look at contemporary punk and skate rock and the significance the Warped tour has had over the past twelve years.

The Museum exhibit "will feature memorabilia from No Doubt, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, NOFX, New Found Glory, My Chemical Romance, Joan Jett, Dropkick Murphys, Bouncing Souls, Rancid, Helmet, Taking Back Sunday, Senses Fail, All-American Rejects and others."

After the exhibit closes in September, the Museum will be put the items "into a 'time capsule' to be stored at the Museum for 25 years, opened at a special event in 2031 and again displayed for an additional six months."

While the Museum is waiting around for 2031, Future Rock Hall should be able to give you a good idea of whether or not the above bands will be relevant 25 years from now.