Rock on, Hall of Fame, Rock on!

In an election about as suspenseful as Vladimir Putin's last Presidential campaign (or Hazel McCallion's mayoral race for that matter), the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has deemed Madonna worthy of induction. As Madge ranks as the most successful (in terms of sales, influence, notoriety, longevity, you name it) female musician of any era, was there every any doubt? The minute Madonna hit the VMAs stage in a wedding dress to perform Like A Virgin, her legend was established.

Along with Madonna in the shoo-in category was Leonard Cohen (who my friend the2Scoops did not include in his own list of likely inductees way back in October). If influence and coolness matter - and clearly they do - Cohen was a total lock.

Missing out? The Beastie Boys! So, John Mellencamp beats out the boys from Brooklyn? A guy whose entire current career is based on selling pick-up trucks. The poor man's Bruce Springsteen? I mean, I love Jack and Diane as much as the next gal, and I, too, thought Ch-Check it Out was lame - but the Beasties launched new genres of music, made some of the most influential videos of MTV's golden era (thank you Spike Jones) and inspired a generation of kids to Fight for Their Right (to par-tee). Oh, and they spawned Vanilla Ice - so maybe they should be punished after all.