Metallica, Run-D.M.C., the Stooges, War, Bobby Womack, Jeff Beck, Chic, Wanda Jackson, and Little Anthony and the Imperials are the nine Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2009 nominees, it was announced Monday. Of these nine, ultimately five will be chosen for induction. The 24th Annual Induction Ceremony will take place on April 4th in Cleveland (in a first, tickets for the ceremony will be available to the public).

Eligibility for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame dictates that the artist's recording career began at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination. Thus, this year's nominees must've all released their first recording by or before 1983. Last year's winning class included Madonna, John Mellencamp and Leonard Cohen.

Madonna, John Mellencamp, Leonard Cohen, The Dave Clark Five and the Ventures are the newest inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The annual induction ceremony was held Monday night at New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

Madonna accepted her honor with a curse-laden acceptance speech: "What's a record without the music? That's right, mother f---ers," she quipped. The Material Girl did not perform, however. Instead, rocker Iggy Pop serenaded her with covers of her hits 'Ray of Light' and 'Burning Up.'

Mellencamp dedicated his induction to a surgeon who saved his life as a baby. The singer was born with spina bifida, an often life-threatening birth defect. Mellencamp then rocked the house with 'Authority Song,' with his son Speck on guitar.

Mike Smith, lead singer and keyboard player of the Dave Clark Five, passed away from pneumonia Thursday in a hospital outside London. Smith, who was paralyzed in a spinal cord injury in 2003, was 64. The sad news precedes what would otherwise be a celebratory time for the British Invasion group, as it will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 10.

Considering the DC5 were the second most popular British band in 1964, it's easy to overlook Smith's contributions as the gruff-voiced frontman and primary songwriter on hits such as 'Glad All Over,' 'Bits and Pieces' and 'Can't You See That She's Mine.' His relative anonymity both within his own group and to the rock community at large was exacerbated by the fact that drummer, bandleader and manager Dave Clark was the public face of his namesake London-based five-piece combo. Thanks in no small part to Smith, at least for a while it was not considered preposterous to utter the DC5's name in comparison to the Beatles.

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Justin Timberlake has been chosen to induct Madonna into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The ceremony, to be held on March 10, will take place at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York. The pop/R&B prince is currently collaborating with Her Madgesty on several songs from her upcoming album, 'Hard Candy,' including the first single, '4 Minutes to Save the World,' which also features Timbaland.

The woman born Madonna Louise Ciccone almost 50 years ago in Michigan will be entering the Rock Hall Class of '08, who were chosen by the 600 voters of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. Artists are eligible for inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25 years after their first recording is released.

Madonna Louise Ciccone has been selected, in her first year of eligibility, as one of the five artists to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Material Girl will comprise the Hall of Fame Class of '08 along with populist rocker John Mellencamp, Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, surf instrumental combo the Ventures and British Invasion group the Dave Clark Five.

The 2008 induction ceremony will be held on March 10, at New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel. To be eligible for the Rock Hall, artists must have issued their first single or album 25 years before nomination. Other acts nominated this year included the Beastie Boys, Donna Summer, Afrika Bambaataa and Chic.

More Rock Hall on Spinner:

• Watch the 2007 ceremony
• Read Q&As with each of the 2007 inductees
  
• See iconic photos of Famers

Madonna, the Beastie Boys, Leonard Cohen and Donna Summer are among the artists nominated for 2008 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They join the Dave Clark Five, Afrika Bambaataa, Chic, the Ventures and John Mellencamp on the eclectic nominee list. Only five will enter the Hall during the induction ceremony, to be held on March 10, 2008 at New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

To be eligible for induction, artists had to release their first single no later than 1982. This is the first year of eligibility for both Madonna and the Beasties, as well as Summer, the Ventures, Cohen and Bambaataa.

Last year's class was comprised Patti Smith, R.E.M., Van Halen, the Ronettes and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.

More Rock Hall on Spinner:

• Watch the 2007 ceremony
• Read Q&As with each of the 2007 inductees
  
• See iconic photos of Famers

Newly inducted Rock and Roll Hall of Famers R.E.M. will head to Dublin to debut brand-new songs from their forthcoming album at a string of concerts beginning June 30. Mike Mills told Billboard, "We tend to write a lot of music. Michael [Stipe] requires a little more time to focus on it. Musically, I'd say we're pretty far along. Lyrically, we're probably just beginning." It's the first time the band has unveiled new material in front of a live crowd in a decade.

Read the full story and watch R.E.M.'s Rock Hall ceremony performance.

With another Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction come and gone, we thought it would be interesting to ponder what future inductees might look like.

We listed 25 musicians and asked you whether or not they were worthy of roaming the hallowed Hall. According to our readers, only 10 of our hypothetical picks actually deserve the honor. Of those 10, Metallica came in at a solid No. 1 with an overwhelming amount of "Yes" votes (77 percent!). This is what we call a no-brainer.

Sara was backstage at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony and talked to members of Velvet Revolver and Van Halen. See what Sammy Hagar thinks a little taste of Cabo Wabo will do to you.