Eric Column 5

The Rock Hall, Golden Globes and Academy Awards

January 24, 2008

A lot has happened since I last wrote, and we have several things to get through. I had planned on doing my Top 10 Albums of 2007 this week, but because of the wealth of news stories to discuss, I will post the list next time.

The 2008 inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame were announced last month. This year, a few artists who have been eligible for way too long finally made the cut. In order to be eligible for induction, an artist must have made their debut at least 25 years ago. This year's inductees include Madonna, John Mellencamp, The Dave Clark Five, Leonard Cohen, and The Ventures. Of these artists, Madonna is the only one who was eligible for the first time in 2008. This means that the other artists, who all seem like shoo-ins to me, have been on the ballot for awhile now, and finally got inducted after years of waiting. Leonard Cohen, in particular, has been talked about as an obvious inductee since 1992. His debut album, Songs Of Leonard Cohen, was released in 1967. It's nice to see the Rock Hall catch up on a few overdue artists.

So what will the Rock Hall look like in the future? Several notable artists have been eligible for a few years now, and are still likely to end up in the hall eventually. Such artists include Beastie Boys, Kraftwerk, The Stooges, Lou Reed, Deep Purple, T Rex, Love, The Moody Blues, New York Dolls, Tina Turner, Randy Newman, and Tom Waits. I strongly suspect that most of these artists make it within the next few years, especially as we approach the glut of mediocre eighties debuts. As for the first time inductees in 2009, The Smiths, Run DMC, and Stevie Ray Vaughan are the only artists in next year's class that will ultimately make it in. Even if all three make it next year, it still leaves a couple vacancies for the overdue artists mentioned above. Hopefully, the Rock Hall takes this opportunity to legitimize itself with the inclusion of a few artists that should have been inducted long ago.

Lots of other news stories have been popping up late. I am rather out of touch with the current crop of movies in the Academy Awards, so I can't comment there. However, I do think Guaranteed by Eddie Vedder (for the film Into The Wild) is every bit as eligible for the Best Original Song award as any of the five songs nominated. Three Alan Menken songs from Enchanted got nominated, yet they couldn't find a spot for Eddie? Kudos go out to the Golden Globes, however, who allowed Vedder's song to win in the Best Song category.

So my Super Bowl prediction from a month ago appears to be wrong. Did anyone else really expect Dallas to implode so early in the playoffs? Anyway, here's hoping that the Giants can give the Patriots a game next week. We can also all look forward to a fantastic halftime show from Tom Petty, who also, by the way, announced a massive U.S. tour just a few days ago.

Next time, I will write about my favorite albums from 2007, as well as predictions and hopes for what 2008 will hold for the music industry.

Comments?
Use the DDD Music Forum or email Eric at:
eric@digitaldreamdoor.com

Past Articles:

Jan. 22, 2008 Click Here:	Nominees for the 80th Annual Academy Awards
Jan. 12, 2008 Click Here:	65th Golden Globe Winners
Dec. 14, 2007 Click Here:	Grammy Awards, Zeppelin reunion, & Christmas Gift Ideas
Dec. 4, 2007 Click Here:	Zeppelin, Petty, Springsteen, Charlie Hunter, & the San Francisco Symphony