ABBA, Stooges, Genesis Enter Rock Hall of Fame

Neil Diamond, Tom Waits among others who join him

(NEWSER) - The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is about to get decidedly more rocking: Alice Cooper is among the latest to join its ranks. Neil Diamond, Tom Waits, Dr. John, and Darlene Love will also be inducted, reports the New York Times , citing an announcement expected today. Other than Love, a back-up and occasional lead singer from the 1960s, all are first-time nominees. Some of those nominated this year who didn’t make it in: Donna Summer, LL Cool J, the Beastie Boys, and Bon Jovi. Click for more—and to see the biggest Hall of Fame snubs . More»

But the Beastie Boys should get in soon; Alice Cooper not so much

(NEWSER) - Five artists enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tonight—the Hollies, the Stooges, Jimmy Cliff, Genesis, and, no kidding, ABBA—but as always "it seems like whoever gets anointed, or shunned, generates more controversy than the abortion debate and the death penalty combined," writes Jim Farber in the New York Daily News . He looks at the top 40 "bridesmaids at the HOF wedding" and predicts their induction likelihood on a scale of 1 to 4, with 1 meaning "should be ushered in relatively soon":

• Beastie Boys, 1: "Voters love" the "innovative hip-hop act."

Genesis, Hollies, Jimmy Cliff also gets the call

(NEWSER) - The Stooges, Genesis, and ABBA will head next year’s class of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, along with the Hollies and Jimmy Cliff. The ceremony will be March 15, with all the inductees invited to perform, though some, particularly ABBA, may be tough to bring together, notes Rolling Stone . The Swedish pop outfit has refused multiple pleas for a reunion show. More»

Bob Dylan's Christmas album is just the latest in a long line

(NEWSER) - Bob Dylan’s decision to record a Christmas album is certainly ill-advised—“fans may have stuck by him throughout the musically self-destructive late '60s, the God-bothering late '70s, and the Grateful Dead-collaborating-Madonna-imitating mid '80s, but surely even Bob's fans have a limit,” writes John Matthew Hall for the Independent. But Dylan’s not alone; Hall offers up the worst disasters in rock and roll careers, from John Lennon to Michael Jackson: More»

Memorabilia displayed in city he loved

(NEWSER) - A new exhibit of John Lennon memorabilia includes a bloodied hospital bag holding the clothes he wore the night he was shot to death, reports the Guardian. The bag is the most jolting display of the new show launched by Lennon's widow at the Manhattan annex of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. "John came back to me in a brown paper bag. I want the world to know that," said Yoko Ono. More»