In February, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will announce who the presenters and performers will be for the 2007 induction ceremony. Last year, Herbie Hancock inducted Miles Davis; Shirley Manson (from Garbage) inducted Blondie; Lars and James from Metallica inducted Black Sabbath; and Kid Rock inducted Lynyrd Skynyrd (the Sex Pistols weren't there, so Jann Wenner read the infamous "piss stain" letter). So who will get the honors in 2007? As you can tell, the Rock Hall likes to pick current rock stars who were influenced by the inductees. Commenter Henry M has some ideas:

Van Halen --> Gene Simmons or Ted Templeman

R.E.M.--> Mitch Easter or Scott Litt

Patti Smith --> Lenny Kaye or Clive Davis

Grandmaster --> Chuck D

Ronettes --> Bruce Springsteen

And our picks? Somehow, we don't think Gene Simmons will be doing the honors for Van Halen, given the tension between KISS and the Rock Hall, so we're thinking the Red Hot Chili Peppers. We also suspect that a well-known artist will get to induct R.E.M., so it might as well be Michael Stipe's friend Thom Yorke. For Patti Smith, we'll say it will be PJ Harvey. Chuck D seems exactly right for Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, and Bruce is perfectly appropriate for the Ronettes. What do you think?

As for the performances, there will be a lot of reunions. The original R.E.M. lineup plans to play, as well as the three Ronettes. Grandmaster Flash hasn't performed with the Furious Five in years, but should come together on this occasion. And then there's Van Halen. The lineup will probably be the one that was announced for a summer tour -- Eddie and Alex Van Halen, with Eddie's son Wolfie on bass, and David Lee Roth back in front. Hopefully they will find a way to include Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony on stage with them too.

One of the highlights of the ceremony is the "all-star jam" which takes place at the end of the ceremony (ably backed by Paul Shaffer and company, who probably deserve to be recognized by the Rock Hall someday). This year's mix of artists and personalities should make it a fantastic ending. Let's just hope we can see it.

The 2007 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will certainly be unique. Not only will a porn music composer be inducted, but perhaps a professional wrestler will enter the Rock Hall as well. Melle Mel, Furious Five member and 2007 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, wants to try becoming a WWE wrestler.

I went to the wrestling school over the summer and picked up a little bit of moves. I wanted to see if it was something that I wanted to do, other than just dreaming of wanting to be a wrestler. It's a little rough, but it's something that can be done.

In addition to wrestling, Melle Mel is working on a new fitness video, a children's book, and a new album called Muscles, to be released on his own Big Gun Records.

The Onion's A.V. Club has taken a stab at predicting which artists will someday be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Let's take a look at their predictions and how they compare to the Future Rock Hall induction chances.

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The A.V. Club predicts these artists will get in:

Artist	A.V. Club Odds	FRH Chances
Madonna	2-1	83%
John Mellencamp	2-1	62%
Beastie Boys	3-1	83%
Pearl Jam	3-1	81%
Public Enemy	5-1	74%
Coldplay	5-1	61%
The Replacements	6-1	61%

The A.V. Club is pretty safe with these predictions even though their odds should be much higher.

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The A.V. Club predicts these artists will be "on the bubble":

Artist	A.V. Club Odds	FRH Chances
Tupac Shakur	8-1	45%
The Smiths	8-1	73%
Dave Matthews Band	9-1	51%
New Order	10-1	72%
Pavement	12-1	65%
Oasis	13-1	71%
The Flaming Lips	15-1	58%

Again, the A.V. Club underestimates the chances these artists have. Remember, the Rock Hall voting committee will eventually be represented by a generation of music experts who grew up in the 80's and 90's, and will have a keen understanding of the significance of these artists. It may be 20 years, but it will happen.

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This last group won't make the cut, according to the A.V. Club:

Artist	A.V. Club Odds	FRH Chances
Hüsker Dü	25-1	66%
XTC	40-1	55%
Yo La Tengo	50-1	47%
De La Soul	100-1	40%

Future Rock Hall and its users have much more confidence that the Hall of Fame will someday recognize these artist than the A.V. Club does.

Overall, the A.V. Club chose an excellent sample of artists to highlight, the majority of whom will likely be in the Rock Hall within 25 years.

Eddie Van Halen is going to need a larger trophy case. On the heels of his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, EVH just won an Adult Video News Award for "Best Music." As we reported here in July, Eddie Van Halen wrote music for a porn movie called "Sacred Sin," and apparently it was the best porn music of the year. Maybe he will play a portion of the award-winning music during the 2007 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony if he can't convince David Lee Roth or Sammy Hagar to sing their old hits with him.

Music industry insider and critic, Bob Lefsetz, isn't happy Patti Smith was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year, and also has some thoughts on who should be considered:

How about [...] Peter Gabriel?  How come he can’t get nominated, never mind get in.  His third, eponymous album, is far superior than the GREATEST HITS of Ms. Smith.  Hell, his Ezrin-produced debut is more challenging than "Horses".  But he gets no traction, no respect.

Or what about Gabriel’s work with Genesis?  They’ve got to be in the Hall, right?

Of course not.  Prog rock doesn’t exist in the minds of the Hall.  Yes isn’t in either.  Don’t you know chops are anathema?  That it’s better to NOT KNOW how to play?

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame used to be cool.  One used to want to go to its induction ceremonies.  Because they were insider events.  Everybody wants to be an insider at someplace cool.  But now they’re on TV, they’re just as phony and evanescent as the usual network fare.  But you’ve got to follow the buck, right?

How could things get so screwed up, how could reality get so warped, how could respect be eliminated from the equation.  You let in second-rate people like Patti Smith, and you taint the rest of the inductees.  I mean who next, TELEVISION??

Lefsetz's thoughts echo those of legions of fans of prog rock who can't understand why it isn't more represented in the Rock Hall, when other marginal aritsts keep getting inducted.

In a recent column, Jon Bream, a music writer for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and a member of the Rock Hall voting committee, criticizes the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction process as well as the current crop of inductees. Bream believes that the Rock Hall isn't selective enough and that the whole process could use more transparency.

In the past 15 years, the Rock Hall has enshrined 97 performers, while the Baseball Hall admitted only 22 players. A key reason is the way voting is conducted.

To make it to Cooperstown, N.Y., a baseball player must get at least 75 percent of the votes, cast by writers who have covered the sport for at least 10 years. To get into Cleveland's Rock Hall, an act needs only 50 percent of the votes.

More than 600 music industry experts (including me) receive ballots -- and don't ask me what the criteria is to be a voter. Moreover, vote totals are not announced, unlike the Baseball Hall, which discloses the results from its 575 or so ballots.

While baseball players can be weighed statistically, a potential Rock Hall of Famer is supposed to be measured by "the influence and significance of the artist's contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock 'n' roll." That's totally subjective, which explains why such lesser acts as the Dells and Percy Sledge are in, and John Mellencamp and Luther Vandross are not.

The rock nominees are chosen by a committee of music-business insiders that, in the past, has included legendary producer Phil Spector, Best Buy exec Gary Arnold and Los Angeles Times critic Robert Hilburn. Their choices often reek of elitism. Stars who have never even made the ballot include Neil Diamond, Kiss, the Moody Blues, the Doobie Brothers, Hall & Oates, Journey, Steve Miller Band, Genesis, Linda Ronstadt, Rush, Yes, Heart, Peter Frampton, Jimmy Buffett and Alice Cooper. That sounds like a Classic Rock Hall of Fame right there.

The identity of the "600 music experts" is one of the many mysteries of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction process. Other than the previous inductees who get to vote, it is unknown who constitutes the balance of the committee. The voters are kept a secret, "even from one another, to prevent vote politicking."

Are there any other voters who want to step out of the shadows to either support or criticize the process? Contact us.

According to the New York Daily News, VH1 won't be airing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony this year. Apparently their contract expired and wasn't renewed. Hopefully another network will sign on to air an edited version of the ceremony, or the Rock Hall could simply webcast it live. (thanks, Charles)

In future decades, the 2007 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class will most be remembered as the year the first rappers were inducted. Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five were finally selected for induction this week, after having been nominated each of the last three years.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame certainly understands the significance of this event. Terry Stewart, Rock Hall Museum President & CEO, responded to the objections of allowing rappers in:

"We've been getting the same question since the group originally was nominated a few years ago: 'Why in the heck would you have a hip-hop artist here?' " said Stewart, who is a member of the hall's nominating committee.

"You have to step back and understand the history of the music," Stewart said. "The term 'rock 'n' roll' has been around for more than 100 years. . . . Hip-hop is just another form of it, one we're very proud to recognize.

"Hip-hop is a derivative 50 years later of what Alan Freed was playing, which was called race music or rhythm and blues, then retitled rock 'n' roll."

Expect to see more hip-hop acts enshrined in the future, Stewart said.

So, congratulations to Grandmaster Flash, Kid Creole, Cowboy, Melle Mel, Mr. Ness, and Raheim on your induction and for being the pioneers of the next generation of Hall of Famers. In the next few years, look for Run DMC, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, and the Beastie Boys to join them in the Hall.

Congratulations to R.E.M., Van Halen, Patti Smith, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, and the Ronettes -- the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction class of 2007. (Comment on the inductions here.)

As for the artists who didn't make the cut, the Stooges now have the dubious distinction of having been nominated the most times (6) without being inducted, since longtime nominee Patti Smith finally got in this year. But they can take comfort in the fact that most artists who get nominated eventually get into the Rock Hall (roughly 70%).

Since this is Future Rock Hall, let's take a look at who will be eligible for next year's induction. The artists that have the best chance for induction are Metallica, Madonna, the Beastie Boys, and Sonic Youth. Other contenders could be Sting and Janet Jackson.

Let's not forget some of the most popular artists who have been eligible for years and have been consistently ignored by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominating Committee. Artists such as Rush, Yes, Deep Purple, KISS, Alice Cooper, Brian Eno, Joy Division, King Crimson, Dire Straits, Peter Gabriel, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Tom Waits, and many others have never been recognized.

But let's just be thankful that this year we get the treat of seeing the Van Halen soap opera play out on stage at the induction ceremony. We can all agree on that.

Over 580 ballots have been cast by Future Rock Hall voters in an attempt to predict the results of the 2007 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductions. Our voters were required to select five artists from the ballot of nine nominees, using the same process the Rock Hall Voting Committee does.

The results overwhelmingly indictate easy induction for R.E.M. and Van Halen, each receiving over 90% of the vote in their first year on the ballot. Patti Smith showed up on roughly 3/4 of your balllots, which should mean that her losing streak will finally end this year. The Stooges (71%) and Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five (61%) round out the five predicted inductees.

Not quite getting over the magical 50% mark were the Dave Clark Five (41%) and the Ronettes (38%). There wasn't much support for three-time nominees Chic (18%) and Joe Tex (14%).

The poll results closely mirror the "Future Rock Hall Induction Chances" score, which has been calculated using user voting and other historically determining factors for induction, so Future Rock Hall stands behind the five predicted winners our users selected.

The official inductee list will be announced via press release on January 8th. Keep checking Future Rock Hall for all of the latest 2007 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame news.