A List Of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago

INDUCTION JUNCTION, ROCK HALL EDITION: With tonight being the induction ceremony for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a lot is being written about tonight's inductees. Here's a last roundup of the some of the commentary and news about the honorees:

• R.E.M.: Few would argue the Athens, Ga., quartet don't deserve a spot in the rock pantheon, but Steve Hyden at the Onion AV Club wrote an intriguing commentary about the band's shrinking legacy. While I haven't relegated REM to the Pearl Jam and Oasis scrap heap, its true I don't listen to them nearly as much as I once did and his description about not buying an REM album upon its release is spot on. Meanwhile Michael Stipe spoke to the USA Today about the honor, The Gainesville Times gets a local perspective on the band's success, and the band has hired a new producer for its next album and will have its first new recording with all four original members since 1996 available for download tomorrow.
  
• Patti Smith: Some are arguing the Smith's election smacks of "New York myopia," but it's hard to deny her influence. Smith confesses in an op-ed in today's New York Times that even she has doubts about her worthiness--or for that matter the institution as a whole--but ultimately she is proud to accept the honor not only for herself but other pioneers (including her late husband).
• Van Halen: The soap opera continues, with the LA Times reporting that Hall officials were more than open to having David Lee Roth perform at tonight's ceremony.
  
• The Ronettes: Despite having to wait 19 years to be inducted, Ronnie Spector is excited about finally making it. Don't look for her ex-husband to be amongst the well-wishers tonight.
• Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five: In honor of the pioneering rappers making the Hall, listen to these Fresh Air interviews from 2002 with Grandmaster Flash and from 1992 with Melle Mel. I wonder how much this induction has to do with the Hall avoiding the embarrassment of potentially having the Beastie Boys, who come up for voting next year and should be a shoo-in, be the first hip-hop artists in the Hall. Also on NPR (your source for all things hip-hop related), All Things Considered has an appreciation of Grandmaster Flash's innovative career.
  

And lastly in general Hall news, Robert Hilburn makes the case in the LA Times for deducting some Rock Hall members--including Billy Joel and two of tonight's nominees, Ann Powers (also at the Times) argues that with the Hall now welcoming a broader range of musicians it might be time to drop "Rock n Roll" from its title, and USA Today looks at the next five potential classes--next year is a monster with Madonna, Metallica, and as previously noted the Beastie Boys all eligible for the first time.

If you are watching the induction ceremony live (or more wisely Tivoing it), feel free to use the comments below to comment on anything noteworthy.