Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum will undergo a $3 million renovation, which should be completed early next year.

The project is being funded by the New York based Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, who selected ESI Design to helm the project. ESI's founder and principal designer is Edwin Schlossberg, husband of Caroline Kennedy. Coincidentally, Caroline Kennedy has been friends with Rock Hall Founder and Chairman Jann Wenner since the 70's, when they used to party in the same New York social circles. Perhaps it was Caroline Kennedy who recommended the Hall of Fame's original architect, I.M. Pei (who also designed the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum) because when Pei was hired, he confessed he "didn’t know a thing about rock and roll."

In response to the report that Jann Wenner has blackballed the Monkees from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Bill O'Reilly has decided to take up the cause of trying to get them inducted.

Money quote:

I wasn't a big Monkees fan, because, um, I don't know why I wasn't, but I tell you now, I like the records better now that I'm an old guy. You're on the oldies stations all the time. And you know what, Mr. Jones, you guys deserve to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame... and I'm gonna try to make it happen for ya.

Now there's a ringing endorsement.

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.

Astute fans of Future Rock Hall will notice that the Induction Chances formula has been adjusted to better reflect an artist's odds of ever being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.