Nas' album, <i>Untitled</i>
Photo: Def Jam

After weeks of trading places at the top of the weekly Billboard albums chart, Lil Wayne and Coldplay have been vanquised by a new champion. Following months of hype about its original title and subsequent change, Nas' Untitled will cruise to the top spot on the chart on sales of 186,600. The Nas takeover will push Weezy's Tha Carter III down a notch to #2 on sales of 105,500, according to Nielsen SoundScan, just one week after Wayne had regained the pole position from Coldplay.

Nas' debut was strong, giving him his fourth #1 bow, but it paled in comparison to the first week for his previous album, Hip Hop Is Dead, which scanned 354,000 units back in 2006. The soundtrack to the ABBA-centric "Mamma Mia!" busts into the #3 slot on sales of 91,400, dropping Coldplay's Viva la Vida down to #4, with 90,300 more converts, and the "Camp Rock" soundtrack follows with another 78,000 units moved. The second wind for iTunes holdout Kid Rock's Rock N Roll Jesus continues unabated, as the album sees sales tick up almost 20 percent from last week with 73,500 more satisfied customers, landing it in the #6 spot.

The top 10 also features three other fresh faces: Rock Hall of Famer John Mellencamp's Life Death Love and Freedom at #7 with 56,200 in sales, David Banner's The Greatest Story Ever Told at #8 on 51,800 units and Taylor Swift's Wal-Mart-only album Beautiful Eyes at #9 with 44,700. The top 10 is rounded out by the expanded edition of Rihanna's Good Girl Gone Bad, which slipped two spots from last week with sales of 41,300.

There were plenty of other debuts in the mix, with jam band O.A.R.'s All Sides landing at #13 with 33,200 in sales; county veteran Randy Travis clocking 31,000 in sales for Around the Bend at #14; the soundtrack to "The Dark Knight," swooping into the #20 position on 24,700 in sales; and bar-rock heroes the Hold Steady grabbing the #30 slot with their latest chronicle of lovable losers, Stay Positive, which won over 17,400 big spenders.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's Magic Tour Highlights EP appears at #48 with 11,800 units moved. Aussie rising star Delta Goodrem breaks through at #116 on 6,000 copies of Delta, and Atlanta rockers Rehab punch in at #132 with sales of 5,100 for Graffiti the World.

While both Coldplay and Weezy have seen their sales drop off slowly but steadily, a couple of acts that debuted in the top 10 recently took major falls, including Beck, whose Modern Guilt saw a 66 percent drop in sales, landing him at #16, and G-Unit's T.O.S. (Terminate on Sight), which skidded 40 percent in its third week on the chart, dropping from #9 to #24.

Nas shouldn't get too comfortable, since next week will bring the chart debut of Miley Cyrus' first full album under her own name, Breakout.

• Nas
• Lil Wayne
• Miley Cyrus
• Coldplay
• O.A.R.

Madonna and Justin Timberlake at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony on Monday
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage

NEW YORK — As Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremonies go, Monday night's didn't seem to promise much controversy, like Van Halen's induction last year or the Sex Pistols' the year before that, unless you consider the induction of dance-pop icon Madonna into the hallowed hall to be scandalous.

And apart from a handful of Eliot Spitzer quips, the evening — which also saw the inductions of John Mellencamp, Leonard Cohen, the Ventures, the Dave Clark Five, Little Walter and '70s hitmakers Gamble and Huff — didn't have much controversy either. That is, until Madonna opened her mouth.

After an innuendo-filled introduction from Justin Timberlake (during which he lauded Madonna for her "shapely body of work" and for how she's "always been a woman on top" who "fully enjoys that position"), the sinewy singer ascended the stage and thanked seemingly everyone who helped shape her career, from her earliest dancing teachers to the critics who have blasted her over the years, and told her she was "talentless, that I was chubby, that I couldn't sing, that I was a one-hit wonder — they helped me too, because they made me question myself and they pushed me to be better, and I am grateful for their resistance."

(Check out 52 different music videos from Madonna's long and legendary career right here.)

Then, Madonna clarified a story Timberlake told during his introduction. He'd recalled getting an injection of vitamin B12 in the butt from Madonna during recording sessions for her new album. Timberlake said that, during the sessions, he started feeling ill. That's when Madonna proceeded "to pull a Ziploc bag of B12 syringes out [of her purse]." He said she then instructed him to "Drop 'em."

"I don't know what you say to that, so I immediately dropped my pants," he said. "She gave me a shot in my a-- and looks at me and says, 'Nice top shelf.' That was one of the greatest days of my life."

Madonna, however, remembered the incident slightly differently. "Everything he said is basically true, but I didn't say 'Drop 'em.' I said, 'Pull your pants down.' I like to be accurate because you know I am a control freak."

After quoting from the Talmud, she called Timberlake — who'd said, "She became the biggest name on the planet the old-fashioned way: She earned it" — a "f---er." Moments later, she blurted out the word "mother----er" for no discernable reason.

Those words served as a fitting preamble for the punk-paced covers of Madonna songs from a leathery and topless Iggy Pop, who, along with the Stooges, paid tribute to the singer with covers of "Burning Up" and "Ray of Light," during which Pop tossed out an F-bomb. At one point during that performance, the cameras panned to a horrified-looking Clive Davis.

(Check out this backstage footage of Madonna greeting Iggy and the Stooges — including bassist/rabid Madonna fan Mike Watt — after their performance.)

After Pop hobbled offstage, Billy Joel — there to induct his pal John "You'll Always Be the Cougar to Me" Mellencamp — spit out a string of obscenities too, eliciting laughter from an audience that included Chevy Chase, Michael J. Fox, Meg Ryan and even Princess Firyal of Jordan.

The night got off to a much slower start, by comparison. After some opening remarks from Rolling Stone founder and Rock Hall chairman Jann Wenner, legendary R&B singer Patti LaBelle stirred the decked-to-then-nines audience with a towering rendition of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes' "If You Don't Know Me By Now," which was written and produced by inductees Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

"You've been touching the world with your music for so many years," LaBelle exclaimed, honoring the team responsible for '70s-era soul hits from Lou Rawls, the O'Jays, Jerry Butler and many others. "You've touched my life. You've done a wonderful thing. Keep on touching, brothers."

Also inducted — posthumously — was legendary blues harmonica player Little Walter, who died in 1968; he joined the hall in its sidemen category, as he was a frequent collaborator of Muddy Waters'. Ben Harper said of Walter, who helped pioneer the use of electronic distortion, that "he defined an instrument, he defined a sound, he defined a genre."

Surf-rock icons the Ventures were inducted next, and followed up the honor by performing two of their biggest hits, "Walk, Don't Run" and the theme from "Hawaii Five-O." John Fogerty, who introduced the Ventures, praised the band for having recorded 250 albums over the course of their career. "Nowadays, some of us would be happy to sell 250 records," he joked, making a reference to the dire state of the music industry.

A pink shirt-sporting Lou Reed strutted onstage to induct revered songwriter Leonard Cohen. His often disjointed tribute to Cohen included a recitation of the genius musician's lyrics — printed out on at least 30 pages Reed pulled from his pocket. "We're so lucky to be alive at the same time Leonard Cohen is," Reed noted, before Damien Rice delivered a rendition of Cohen's "Hallelujah." "This is a very unlikely occasion for me," Cohen, wearing a black tux, admitted. "It is not a distinction that I coveted or even dared dream about. So, I'm reminded of a prophetic statement of [music critic and longstanding Bruce Springsteen manager] Jon Landau in the early '70s. He said, 'I have seen the future of rock and roll and it is not Leonard Cohen.' "

After Madonna's induction and Joel's hilarious introductory speech, Mellencamp — sounding like he'd just downed a shot of molten steel — emerged to claim that "nobody put themselves behind the eight-ball more than I did." He spoke of having surgery when he was just six weeks old, explaining that doctors had worried he'd be paralyzed below the neck. The 56-year-old rocker said he never knew of the surgery until his teen years, when a classmate asked him about the scar behind his neck. "I'm lucky to be standing here for any number of reasons," he said, after snuffing out a cigarette as he mounted the stage.

Last came '60s popsters the Dave Clark Five, whose singer, Mike Smith, died just two weeks ago. Clark admitted it was a bittersweet time for the English group. "We wanted it to be the five of us here, but we know he's smiling down on us, knowing he's a hall of famer," Clark said, adding that he's absolutely delighted that his band's being inducted into the "American" rock hall.

Actor Tom Hanks inducted the band, and told stories about first seeing them on "The Ed Sullivan Show." Finally, Joan Jett, Fogerty and Mellencamp capped off the long night, playing the group's "Bits and Pieces" and "Glad All Over."

• Madonna Takes Over The Rock Hall

• Madonna, Justin Timberlake, More At 2008 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Ceremony
• Madonna: Mother Of Reinvention

• Madonna
• John Mellencamp
• Billy Joel
• Leonard Cohen
• Iggy Pop

John Mayer
Photo: Mat Szwajkos/ Getty Images

In addition to adding the two most-nominated artists of the year to the performing roster for Sunday's Grammys — Kanye West and, via satellite, Amy Winehouse — the show will also feature live sets from John Mayer and gospel great BeBe Winans. Added as presenters are Usher, Will.I.Am, Dierks Bentley, Cuba Gooding Jr., Carole King and Roselyn Sanchez. ...

Common has come up with a title for his new LP: The Believer. The Chicago legend told MTV News he hopes it will be out by November. ... Timbaland has signed a deal to release a straight-to-mobile-phone album, one track at a time over the next year. The unusual scheme hatched with Verizon Wireless, which will give its V Cast subscribers an exclusive chance to access the songs each month, according to Billboard Biz. Tim, who is up for five Grammys, will work with a different artist on each track while touring the country on the Verizon Mobile Recording Studio Bus, which will spin off making-of footage for V Cast subscribers on a dedicated Timbaland channel. Each mobile track will be released just days after it is produced in full-length download, ringtone and ringback version, and will only be available through V Cast and Verizon for $1.99. At the end of the year, a compilation album will be released through Verizon. ...

Pitbull and Baby Bash likely ran into each other at last year's Wango Tango music festival in Southern California — they both performed there — and now the two are joining forces for MTV Trés' Sucker Free Latino spring tour. The two headliners will hit 13 cities starting March 15 in Orlando, Florida, and ending April 4 in San Diego. ... Family, friends and close music-industry associates of the late Big Pun gathered in a private ceremony Thursday night at New York's Studio 450 to honor the eight-year anniversary of the Latino rapper's untimely death. Donations were made both to Pun's family and his foundation, the Christopher Rios Memorial. An attendee told MTV News that the rapper's daughter, Vanessa, paid tribute to her father with a rendition of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You." ...

Teddy Geiger is still busy working on the follow-up to 2006's Underage Thinking — as well as his role in the upcoming flick "The Rocker" — but in the meantime the 19-year-old troubadour has launched a cell phone contest with Mozes. During the month of February, fans can leave messages for Geiger on Mozes.com, after which he'll pick one of the fans to chat with. ... Flyleaf and Seether will team up this spring for an eight-week U.S. tour that kicks off April 8 in Denver and runs through May 31 at a yet-to-be-announced city. A partial list of dates can be found at either band's Web site. ... Thrice have a busy May ahead — the SoCal rockers have a show booked for almost every night that month. The band will actually set out on tour the month before that, beginning April 16 in San Diego, and will bring it to a close May 29 in Hollywood. ...

Members of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Saturday Night Live" castmembers Andy Samberg and Seth Meyers, and others turned up at New York's Webster Hall on Monday night for a party thrown by Chloë Sevigny. The actress invited legendary punks the Slits to play at the event, which celebrated Sevigny's new clothing line. ... Working for a Nuclear Free City — whose Businessmen and Ghosts album was a finalist for this year's Shortlist Music Prize — are hoping to capitalize on the success with a brief run. The Brits will hit the road February 29 in San Francisco and continue playing gigs through Austin, Texas' South by Southwest fest in mid-March. ... Still hooked on Phish? Fans can gobble up a bunch of rare items donated by the now-defunct jam heroes for an online charity auction being put on by the mother of the band's drummer, Jon Fishman. Posters signed by Trey Anastasio and Page McConnell, as well as rare Phish shirts and additional items from Oysterhead, Moe. and the String Cheese Incident. Proceeds from the auction, which ends February 21, will go to the Mimi Fishman Foundation, which raises funds for various charities. ...

Now that his Rolling Stones movie, "Shine a Light," is about to hit the big screen, legendary director Martin Scorsese is set to begin work on a yet-untitled documentary about reggae icon Bob Marley. Variety reports that the movie will be authorized by Marley's family and will be released in February 2010, on what would have been Marley's 65th birthday. ... Walt Disney Parks and Resorts are creating a live-performance attraction based on "American Idol" at Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park in Florida. The yet-unnamed attraction, which should open this year, will allow budding singers to "audition" on an "Idol"-like set in front of an audience of 1,000, with a daily winner getting a pass to the show's regional auditions. Visitors will be able to pick their song beforehand, rehearse in a sound booth and, if they pass the audition, work with a vocal coach before performing in front of the live audience and a panel of judges during one of the seven daily shows. ...

Republican presidential candidate John McCain might have a lot of independent-minded supporters, but heartland rocker John Mellencamp ain't one of 'em. The Arizona senator and Republican front-runner stopped playing the unabashedly liberal Indiana singer/songwriter's "Our Country" at his campaign events after Mellencamp's publicist sent a letter questioning the logic of using the tune, according to The Associated Press. "Are you sure you want to use his music to promote Senator McCain's efforts?" read a letter sent to the candidate's campaign on Monday. "Logic says that the facts might prove to be an embarrassment, were they to be circulated widely." The McCain camp said Thursday that the song, and a few others by Mellencamp, would no longer be played at events. Mellencamp publicist Bob Merlis told AP that the situation made Mellencamp uncomfortable and that he couldn't imagine McCain would want to be associated with him. "You know, here's a guy running around saying, 'I'm a true conservative,' " Merlis said. "Well, if you're such a true conservative, why are you playing songs that have a very populist pro-labor message written by a guy who would find no argument if you characterized him as left of center?" ...

Billy Joel will be the last artist to play New York's Shea Stadium before it's torn down. The piano man will perform at "The Last Play at Shea, From the Beatles to Billy" on July 16, during the New York Mets' final season before moving to Citi Field in 2009. The show will make Joel the only artist to have played both Yankee and Shea Stadiums.

2.7.08

Lindsay Lohan just spoke publicly for the first time since leaving rehab in early October — she gave an interview to the U.K. edition of Glamour for its new cover story — but the starlet has more to say. She told Harper's Bazaar for its own LiLo cover story that she'd like to have a low-key relationship, that she's trying to smoke cigarettes less often and that she's "always been a homebody." She also spilled who she would like to make music with next — "I'd love to work with Timbaland. I'd love to work with Kanye West, 50 Cent if I could" — and admitted, "When I look back on this last year, it's like, what was I thinking?" Harper's Bazaar's March issue, in which the story appears, hits stands February 19. ...

Christina Aguilera just made her first public appearance this week since giving birth in January, and now comes news that the singer is already digging into her next album. "This whole incredible thing has taken place in my life," the new mom recently told Ryan Seacrest on his radio show, so there's "so much in me to write about. The next record, I want to have a lot of fun with it. [I've been] brainstorming for the last nine months. This next album will have a whole new me, a different me, so it's a lot to look forward to." She also spoke about her son, Max Liron Bratman — "he's constantly changing, and doing these incredibly cute things and stinky things" — and even touched on Paris Hilton spilling the beans about Aguilera's pregnancy during VMA weekend last year. "It was funny," Aguilera said, taking the high road. "We all looked at each and laughed it off. She did it in a sweet way. It wasn't a tattle-on-me sort of thing." ...

Britney Spears' father, Jamie, had previously been granted temporary conservatorship powers over the singer for a week, during which time it was expected when the powers were granted that she would be in the hospital. Now that she's out, some legal questions were raised in court Thursday (February 7) when Spears' co-conservator, Andrew Wallet, and the attorneys for the conservatorship appeared for an emergency ex parte hearing. Since the hearing was closed and the court documents were sealed, according to a court clerk, no one could say what happened in the hearing. But Adam Streisand, who tried to represent the singer at a previous hearing, only to be ejected from the court, was definitely not present on the singer's behalf, since prior to the hearing, his firm released a statement that he "has decided he will not represent her at this time." Streisand met with Britney Spears on Wednesday "to discuss her legal rights in connection with the conservatorship over her person and estate," but following the meeting, he learned that there was a court order preventing the singer from retaining counsel of her own choosing. ... Despite all Britney Spears' troubles, she still has Danjahandz on her side. The producer recently told MTV News that he'd like to hook up with the singer in the future. "I would work with her again. Hopefully she'll get better," he said, admitting that he hadn't heard of her recent hospitalization. "I definitely have ideas [of] what I would do with her." ...

As had been previously rumored, when Beyoncé takes the stage at the Grammy Awards on Sunday night, she'll be joined by none other than reclusive rock legend Tina Turner, the Recording Academy has announced. Other additions to the show's lineup included Kid Rock, who will perform, as well as presenters Akon, Nelly Furtado, Prince, Jason Bateman, Tony Bennett, Cher, Tom Hanks, Quincy Jones, Joe Mantegna, Ringo Starr, Dave Stewart and Stevie Wonder. ...

Can't remember the last time you bought a CD single? Well, here's a reason to consider picking one up: Ashlee Simpson will meet fans and sign copies of her new "Outta My Head" single February 14 at a Walmart in Dallas. ... Sevendust have a friend in ... Chris Daughtry? Yup, it's true: The Daughtry frontman recently teamed with the hard-rockers to chip in a guest vocal for the band's new song "The Past." The track will be included on Sevendust's April 1 LP, Chapter VII: Hope & Sorrow, which will also feature contributions from Alter Bridge's Mark Tremonti and Myles Kennedy. ... This year's South by Southwest festival just got a little more hip-hop-friendly. Ice Cube and N.E.R.D. have hopped onto the sprawling roster for the Austin, Texas, shindig, which will go down March 12-16. ... The Sweet Relief Musicians Fund — a group that helps career musicians in need — is putting up for auction an original Clash T-shirt printed by bassist Paul Simonon. The item will be up for bidding on eBay for 10 days starting Saturday. As MTV News reported late last year, Simonon originally gave the shirt to punk poet Patti Smith 30 years ago, and after she passed it to her drummer, Jay Dee Daughtery, he in turn donated it to Sweet Relief — but the group was not able to raffle the tee because of sweepstakes laws. ...

Don't believe those stories about how infighting and personal disputes are the reason the Spice Girls have canceled most of the remaining dates of their reunion tour. Trying to combat the rumors, the Girls posted a one-minute apology video to fans on their Web site on Wednesday, reiterating that the decision to cancel shows in China, South Africa, Australia and Argentina was due to "family and personal commitments." In the video, Mel C explains: "There has been a lot of rubbish in the media over the last few days, so we wanted you to hear it from the horse's mouth. We're very sorry not to be able to get to all the places we really, really wanted to get to." Several members say that the tour went a month longer than they had actually intended when they first announced the reunion last year. Victoria Beckham adds, "Our kids need to go back to school, and we always said our families are our priorities. So we want to thank all our fans. Sorry we haven't got to see everybody." The singers then get into a mock fight before Mel B screams, "We hate each other? Are you kidding? We love each other!" ...

A star-studded gala organized by Madonna at the United Nations in New York on Wednesday night to benefit sick and poor children around the world raised $3.7 million. Hosted by Chris Rock, the $2,500-to-$10,000-a-plate dinner and live auction attracted guests Drew Barrymore, Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Dita Von Teese, Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Amy Adams, Brooke Shields and Salma Hayek. But, according to The Associated Press, the event also made some officials, including U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, a bit uncomfortable with its mix of charity and commercial promotion. The event was paid for by luxury-goods maker Gucci, which used the occasion to promote the opening of its flagship store in New York's Manhattan borough on Friday and put its logo along with UNICEF's behind the walkway on the red carpet. Rihanna, Timbaland and Alicia Keys performed at the event. The night's most expensive auction item was a $600,000 bid to tour with Madonna and take a dance class with her and Gwyneth Paltrow. ...

Eva Mendes left rehab briefly on Thursday. "Eva is attending to some personal business in Los Angeles and intends to return to complete her treatment shortly," a representative for the actress who was not named told TMZ.com. ... Having conquered the reality-TV world, Public Enemy court jester Flavor Flav has signed on to try his hand at scripted comedy. The sometime rapper will star in a new half-hour comedy series on MyNetworkTV called "Under One Roof," which creators call a classic "fish-out-of-water" story. In the show, for which 13 episodes have been ordered, Flav will play Calvester Hill, a former convict who moves in with his wealthy, conservative brother and, predictably, wreaks havoc by parading his old prison cronies through the house, teaching his nephew to be a gangsta rapper and butting heads with Walter's uptight wife, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The series is slated to launch in the spring.

• 2008 Grammy Awards Performers And Presenters
• 2008 Grammy Award Nominees: Akon, Fergie, T.I., More
• Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, More At The In Style And Grammy Salute To Fashion

• John Mayer
• Timbaland
• Usher
• Will.I.Am
• Kanye West

Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards in Iowa on Wednesday
Photo: Chris Hondros/ Getty Images

DES MOINES, Iowa — One of Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards' most famous concepts is the idea that there are two Americas. He uses the idea to illustrate the economic inequality that exists in this country, and to garner support for policies he says will bridge that gap. At a rally for Republican contender Mitt Romney on Wednesday night, Romney brought up that concept — only to shoot it down and imply that Edwards is divisive.

As Thursday night's (January 3) caucuses have drawn nearer, we have seen widespread negative campaigning from Republican to Republican and Democrat to Democrat, but we haven't seen a lot of Republicans bashing individual Democrats — except, of course, Hillary Clinton (bashing her is something of a Republican national pastime). Edwards has not been a focus of Republicans thus far, and some Democrats think this is perhaps a signal of his power in Iowa, a state where he has relentlessly been campaigning all year.

"To me, hearing a Republican contender pay attention to Edwards shows that they are scared — they know that whoever the Democrats elect is likely to win the election, and [the defeated Republican] might be Mitt Romney," said Elise Tabon, 21, from West Des Moines, who labeled herself as a Democrat but had not yet chosen a candidate. However, Romney supporters had a different message.

"I like Romney because he has the socio-economic policies that I think are best for my family, and I think he has a great plan for Iraq. I'm not worried about the Democrats because I think people will see that our policies are better for this country," said Jane Wool of Kansas City, Missouri, who is in Des Moines doing volunteer work for Romney.

The next stop on our caucus trail was a John Edwards rally. A huge crowd gathered in the Val Air Ballroom to hear John Mellencamp, who performed a concert in support of the Edwards campaign, intending to send a clear message that candidates are bringing out the big guns in the final hours before the caucus. Edwards took the stage with his family after the concert and gave an extremely energetic speech — the most passionate I've seen from any candidate so far.

"He seemed angrier this time, he has a lot of discontent about corporate greed, but I like him better this way," said Kailani Koenig-Muester, a sophomore at Emerson College.

As the final night before caucus day closed, the town was more lively than ever, echoing with the voices of campaigners, lobbyists, the media, the decided and also those who remain undecided, but have come to Iowa to make a decision that will help set the stage for the direction of the campaigns in the weeks and months to come.

Stay tuned for our coverage of the Iowa caucuses throughout the day.

• Iowa '08: Kim Stolz's Caucus Diary

• John Mellencamp

Madonna
Photo: Dave Hogan/ Getty Images

This might be the year when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame considers changing its name a bit.

Leading the list of inductees for 2008 is none other than pop superstar Madonna, who tops a roster that includes heartland rocker John Mellencamp, baritone brooder Leonard Cohen, instrumentalists the Ventures, British '60s rockers Dave Clark Five, classic Philly soul songwriting team Gamble and Huff, and blues harmonica player Little Walter in the sideman category.

And, after the door was opened a bit to hip-hop last year with the induction of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, it was loudly shut again this year, as potential nominees Afrika Bambaataa and the Beastie Boys were left off the final list. Also aced out were disco queen Donna Summer and funk act Chic.

To be eligible for nomination this year, an artist must have issued their first single or album in 1982, which was the year Madonna put out her first dance tune, "Everybody." While no one would confuse her decades of dance-floor anthems with rock and roll, the most successful female artist of all time has had a remarkably strong, nearly three-decade career.

Indiana's John Mellencamp began his career as a generic pop singer named Johnny Cougar in 1976, but over the course of nearly 30 years in music has become one of the most thoughtful and respected singer/songwriters of his generation. Initially dismissed as a Bruce Springsteen wannabe, Cougar hit his stride in the early '80s with such rock radio staples as "Jack and Diane" and "Hurts So Good." He soon became known for chronicling the plight of the downtrodden American farmer and worker, with such folk-inspired albums as Scarecrow and The Lonesome Jubilee. Along with Neil Young and Willie Nelson, Mellencamp helped found the annual Farm Aid concert benefiting small American farms.

Known for his seriously deep, froggy baritone vocals, Canadian poet/songwriter Leonard Cohen has been recording albums since 1968 in styles ranging from pop to folk and cabaret. His most famous, and most frequently covered, song is the meditative "Hallelujah." One of the most popular bands from the British Invasion of the mid-1960s, the Dave Clark Five, rivaled the Beatles for a time in popularity thanks to hits like "Glad All Over." Rock instrumental band the Ventures, founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, are best known for such hits as "Walk Don't Run" and "Hawaii Five-O," as well as their pioneering use of space-age sound effects on some of their recordings, which have made them the biggest-selling rock instrumental group of all time.

Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff gave Motown a run for its money in the late 1960s and early 1970s, as they helped to pioneer the Philadelphia soul sound that was the signature of the Philadelphia International label. The production/songwriting team wrote hits for a galaxy of stars, including the O'Jays ("Love Train") and Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes ("If You Don't Know Me by Now"). The duo are being inducted in the non-performer category under the newly named Ahmet Ertegun Award, in honor of the late Atlantic Records co-founder. Hard-drinking blues player Little Walter died at age 37 in 1968, but not before putting his indelible stamp on the art of mouth-harp playing, including being one of the first blues harmonica players to run his harp microphone through an amplifier, pioneering the use of electronic distortion in popular music.

The induction ceremony will take place March 10 at New York's Waldorf Astoria hotel. It has not been announced who will induct this year's slate of honorees into the Hall of Fame.

• Madonna
• John Mellencamp
• Leonard Cohen
• Beastie Boys

Lily Allen
Photo: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

Lily Allen has signed on for a low-budget spoof of the classic Jane Austen novel "Pride & Prejudice." MTV U.K. reports that Allen will play Lydia Bennett in "Jane Austen Handheld," joining a cast that includes "Star Wars" legend Carrie Fisher and British comedian Russell Brand. ...

Doug Neumann, general manager of Crush Management — home to Fall Out Boy, Panic! at the Disco, Gym Class Heroes, etc. — is making an unusual move by stepping out with a covers album of songs by said artists. Neumann, who also went to the Berklee College of Music (go figure!), is redoing the tracks with jazz arrangements and help from members of the bands on the Decaydance label, which is co-owned by FOB bassist Pete Wentz. Tracks include covers of FOB's "Dance, Dance"; Panic's "Time to Dance"; Cobra Starship's "Bring It (Snakes on a Plane)" and more. "One day we were at karaoke and he belted out [Def Leppard's] 'Pour Some Sugar on Me' like it was nobody's business!" Cobra Starship's Gabe Saporta said in a press release. Wentz added, "This dude had me when his shirt came off; the voice he belted out was just the icing on top of hot man cake." ...

Sarah Silverman actually has something nice to say about Paris Hilton, believe it or not. The salty-tongued comedian — who famously jabbed at Hilton at the 2006 VMAs, the 2007 MTV Movie Awards and, most recently, at 2007 VMAs — complimented the heiress on her recent appearance on the "Late Show With David Letterman," during which the host questioned her repeatedly about her time in jail. "I thought she handled herself well," Silverman told People, though she added that Letterman was "being a hilarious pain. I thought it was like old, classic Dave." She also reiterated that she doesn't regret her Britney Spears dis at this year's VMAs. "We're not hanging out like we used to," she said. ...

The track list for Jay-Z's musical accompaniment to the November 2 flick "American Gangster" is good to go, RollingStone.com reports. His American Gangster will include "And the Winner Is," "Welcome," "The Demise" and more. Meanwhile, Island Def Jam has firmed up the track list for the film's proper soundtrack. It will feature two new slices from Anthony Hamilton and classic cuts by Public Enemy, John Lee Hooker and more. ... Nick Cannon and actors Brian White and Keith Robinson were on hand at Nikki East in Manhattan, New York, on Tuesday night as Def Jam princess Chrisette Michele performed at the New York leg of the Hennessy Artistry Tour. ...

Jennifer Aniston tops Forbes.com's first-ever list of top-selling celebrity faces — the list is based on newsstand sales of People, Us Weekly, In Touch Weekly, Life & Style, OK! and Star over a six-month period ending June 30. The actress was on every one of the mags' covers, save In Touch Weekly, at least once during the half-year period, helping sell more than 5 million collective copies of the magazines. As it so happens, her ex-husband, Brad Pitt, is second on the list. ... Congrats are in order for Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis, who is now a daddy — making many of us at MTV News feel really old. He and girlfriend Heather Christie welcomed a son in Los Angeles on Tuesday. ... Brace yourself: A Kidz Bop world tour is in the works. So far only U.S. dates — stretching from October 12-13 in Davenport, Iowa, through November 7 in Kalamazoo, Michigan — have been announced. ...

John Mellencamp has posted a raw acoustic track in support of the Jena Six. The clip, called "Jena," is accompanied by a black-and-white video that intersperses modern footage with clips from the '60s civil-rights era. In the chorus of the song, Mellencamp sings, "Whoa Jena, take your nooses down." ... The final tally for the Rolling Stones two-year A Bigger Bang world tour — which helped earn them a place in Guinness World Records — has been revealed: According to Billboard, the band grossed $558,255,524 between August 21, 2005, and August 26, 2007.

Tool have booked seven dates thus far for their upcoming trek. The band is scheduled to perform November 14 in Austin, Texas, and will hit Houston; New Orleans; and Casper, Wyoming, before playing a two-night stint in Los Angeles on December 10-11. More dates will be revealed in the coming weeks. ... The October 23 soundtrack to "Saw IV" will feature new songs from Avenged Sevenfold, Drowning Pool, Sixx: A.M., Ministry, Saosin, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Every Time I Die, the Red Chord, Nitzer Ebb and more. Both the digital and CD release will feature exclusive tracks. ...

Phil Spector is seeking new lawyers for his murder retrial after his lead attorneys told a judge on Wednesday (October 1) that they were quitting the case, Reuters reports. The development means that the retrial, in which the music producer will again face a charge of murdering actress Lana Clarkson, will be delayed for several months. The music producer's first trial ended in a 10-2 deadlock, with the majority favoring conviction, last month. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler, who oversaw the first trial, said he wants the retrial to begin within four months. He set a hearing for October 23. "Of course now [Spector] is faced with this ordeal all over again, and I'm sure from that point of view he's not happy," his former lead attorney, Roger Rosen, reportedly said on Wednesday. ...

Microsoft has some new Zune portable media players just in time for the holidays, with a number of new features aimed at taking on the iPod. In addition to two new flash-drive based 4GB ($149.99) and 8GB ($199.99) models, there is now an 80GB version for $249.99. The devices have a new feature that lets users wirelessly sync their music to a PC, and though you can still only play them three times, Microsoft has done away with the three-day limit on sharing songs that have been transferred from one device to another. There is also a new online community called Zune Social, where users can chat about music and create a free, customizable Zune Card that automatically updates to show what music they're listening to on their Zune and lets others play samples of the songs. ...

Turns out that one-night-only reunion show by Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard's Brad side project won't be one night only after all. In addition to the benefit gig they're playing October 17 at New York's Webster Hall — to help raise funds for the Huntington's Disease Society of America — Brad will play a warm-up gig the night before at NYC's Highline Ballroom, then treat their Seattle hometown to a show on October 19 at Neumos. A new album is also in the works. ... She Wants Revenge are setting out for a tour just in time for the release of their second album, This Is Forever, which drops Tuesday. The so-called "dark wave" band will fire up the trek Thursday in Los Angeles and continue through a November 13 show in Sacramento, California. ...

Mickey Mouse's beef with metal is apparently continuing, as more heavy shows slated at House of Blues clubs located on Walt Disney property have been moved to other venues. Two dates on the upcoming Operation Annihilation Tour — featuring Shadows Fall, Static-X, 3 Inches of Blood and Divine Heresy — have been adjusted. The October 31 gig, originally planed for the HOB in Anaheim, California, has been moved to the Galaxy Theater in Santa Ana; the October 20 show slated for the HOB in Orlando, Florida, has been canceled outright. "It is sad to say but it looks like Mickey can't handle the metal," Shadows Fall's Brian Fair said in a statement. "We have been informed that the [Walt Disney Co.] has decided to cancel all metal shows taking place at the House of Blues on Disney property in both Anaheim and Orlando. I, for one, am surprised that Disney isn't down with the metal. After all, what is more metal than freezing the decapitated head of your founder?" ...

During the first day of a landmark jury trial in Minnesota — the first file-sharing case to go to trial in the Recording Industry Association of America's four-year campaign to stop illegal downloading — a Sony executive admitted that the RIAA's battle against downloaders has cost the music industry millions of dollars and has been a money-losing proposition for the major labels. According to the Ars Technica blog, the executive also admitted under cross-examination that the music industry has no idea of what actual damages it is incurring because of file-sharing.

10.02.07

Hilary Duff is becoming a waitress for "Greta," an upcoming teen interracial romance, Reuters reports. In the flick, which is currently filming in New Jersey, Duff's character is hot for one of her co-workers, a cook (Evan Ross). The movie is being helmed by music-video director Nancy Bardawil (Bon Jovi, Reba McEntire). ...

Don't expect to hear much more from Eve this year. The rapper's first LP in five years, Here I Am — which has been bumped numerous times — won't drop until 2008, according to Billboard. No reason has been given for the delay of the album, which has already been preceded by two songs, "Tambourine" and "Give It to Me" (featuring Sean Paul). ... It looks like Eve can commiserate with the Wu-Tang Clan, at least a little bit: According to a post on the group's MySpace page, fans will have to wait three weeks longer for Wu's long-awaited fifth album, The 8 Diagrams. The album — which features guest appearances from P-Funk mastermind George Clinton and Dani Harrison, son of late Beatle George — is dedicated to the memory of Ol' Dirty Bastard and was originally scheduled to drop on the anniversary of his death, November 13. But now the LP has been bumped from that date to December 4. ...

Beyoncé has rescheduled the November 1 concert that was originally planned for Malaysia and will perform instead in Jakarta, Indonesia, on that day, Reuters reports. The Malaysia show was nixed last week amid protests by local Muslim groups upset that she reportedly refused to obey the country's strict dress code for performers. ... As previously hinted, Rage Against the Machine will headline Big Day Out, the fest that will roam through Australia and New Zealand early next year. The Arcade Fire, Björk, LCD Soundsystem and others will play all six dates on the trek, which runs from January 18 in Auckland, New Zealand, through February 3 in Perth, Australia. ...

According to an article in the upcoming issue of Vanity Fair magazine, financial improprieties aren't the only secret disgraced boy-band mogul Lou Pearlman may have been hiding. Interviews with Pearlman's former associates allege that the man behind the careers of 'NSYNC, the Backstreet Boys and LFO made advances toward a number of the young men he shepherded to fame. Speaking to former Pearlman protégés and their parents, the article relates stories of young singers emerging from Pearlman's room late at night, buttoning their pants and joking with each other about whether Pearlman had performed a particular sex act on them, with one former assistant referring to the man who enjoyed the nickname "Big Poppa" as a "sexual predator." According to the article, Pearlman — currently in jail and accused of embezzling more than $300 million from investors — acted inappropriately with members of the BSB to the point where several of the bandmembers' mothers suspected "there might have been some strange things going on." In another alleged incident, an aspiring singer was summoned to Pearlman's Miami mansion in the middle of the night to take out the garbage, and when he asked what he needed to do to get into the band, he said, "[Pearlman] leaned back in his chair, in his white terry-cloth robe and white underwear, and spread his legs. And then he said, and these were his exact words, 'You're a smart boy. Figure it out.' " The November issue of Vanity Fair will be on newsstands October 9. ...

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson seems to be taking his new pigskin-comedy flick to heart. The actor announced Tuesday (October 2) that he and his wife, Dany Garcia Johnson, are donating $1 million to help his alma mater, the University of Miami, renovate its football facilities. It's the largest gift a former Hurricane student athlete has ever given to the school's athletic department, and the football team's locker room will be named after Johnson according to The Associated Press. The actor separated from his wife, also a University of Miami alumna, earlier this year but the couple have said they are still close. "Dany and I have always said that being a student athlete here at the University of Miami has always been a tremendous part of our lives," Johnson said Tuesday. "The skill sets that we learned here as student athletes, talking about commitment, talking about sacrifice ... those skill sets are invaluable." ...

Courtney Love has settled a lawsuit brought against her by the attorneys who represented her in legal battles with the surviving members of Nirvana, the Seattle Weekly reports. Katherine Hendricks and O. Yale Lewis claimed that Love owed them more than $340,000, plus interest, for their work on a 2002 suit that Love filed against Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic and drummer Dave Grohl. Love, controller of the share of Nirvana's business that had belonged to her late husband, Kurt Cobain, allegedly did not fully pay her lawyers, even though she eventually earned at least $9 million as a result of that suit. Love settled with Hendricks and Lewis for an undisclosed sum, and the settlement went into effect on September 17. According to court records, Love paid the Seattle attorneys more than $1 million for their work on the Nirvana suit, but they claim she still owed them $341,000, plus as much as $200,000 in interest. ... Nicolas Cage encountered a most unwelcome houseguest when a man broke into the actor's home in Newport Beach, California, early Monday morning, "Access Hollywood" reports. Robert Furo, 45, has been charged with first-degree burglary and has pleaded not guilty. A pretrial hearing for Furo, who is in custody, is set for October 10.

Morrissey's marathon 10-night stand at the Palladium in Hollywood, which was due to be his last sweep through the U.S. in the near future, has hit a snag — and a burst water pipe is to blame. The shows planned for Tuesday and Thursday have been canceled due to the safety issue, leaving Moz with an eight-night stand beginning Friday. Tickets for the canceled gigs will be honored at either the Monday or October 9 shows, with refunds available at point of purchase for those unable to attend. ... Tuesday has been named "Bruce Springsteen Day" in Hartford, Connecticut, AP reports. Governor M. Jodi Rell announced the designation, which coincides with the Boss' decision to open his upcoming tour Tuesday night at the Hartford Civic Center. Also on Tuesday, Springsteen released his new Magic LP with the E Street Band. ... Matador Records plans to reissue post-punk outfit Mission of Burma's back catalog early next year. The first two discs, 1982's Vs. and 1985's The Horrible Truth About Burma, will be repackaged and expanded. ... Flyleaf will release a two-CD/one-DVD limited-edition version of their self-titled album on October 30. The set will feature a number of videos and acoustic versions of some of the album's tracks, as well as additional bonus content. ...

Placebo drummer Steve Hewitt has quit, according to frontman Brian Molko. "Being in a band is very much like being in a marriage and in couples — in this case, a triple," the singer wrote in a statement. "People can grow apart over the years. To say you don't love your partner anymore is inaccurate considering all that you've been through and achieved together. There simply comes a point when you realize that you want different things from your relationship and that you can no longer live under the same roof, so to speak." ...

Aaron Gillespie, drummer for Underoath and frontman for the Almost, has been sidelined temporarily so that he can heal from an infection on his hand. The infection was caused by a finger blister he incurred from performing, and he had to undergo minor surgery to take care of the problem. Gillespie will sit out the next week of the Almost's tour, with drummer Kenny Bozich filling in for him. ... Dillinger Escape Plan guitarist Ben Weinman broke his foot while filming two videos last week and will need four to six weeks for the injury to heal. The band plans to reschedule its U.S. and European tours and is also set to host a release party for its forthcoming album, Ire Works, at a yet-to-be-determined locale on November 13.

• 2007 VMA: Foo Fighters And Guests Live From The Fantasy Suites

• Lily Allen
• Jay-Z
• Fall Out Boy
• Panic at the Disco
• Gym Class Heroes

Madonna
Photo: Dave Hogan/ Getty Images

Take a bow, Madonna, and ch-ch-check it out, Beastie Boys — you've been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In addition to Madge and the Beasties, hip-hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa, veteran rocker John Mellencamp, disco queen Donna Summer, jazz/funk band Chic, English-beat group the Dave Clark Five, surf instrumentalists the Ventures and moody singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen are also up for the high honor, it was announced Thursday (September 27).

While nine artists are being considered for inclusion into the Hall, five will be honored at the induction ceremony, to be held March 10 at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

Around the same time this year, R.E.M., Van Halen and Grandmaster Flash were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with Jay-Z, Eddie Vedder and others helping do the honors.

To be eligible for nomination this year, an artist must have issued their first single or LP no later than 1982.

It was that year, in fact, that Madonna signed a singles deal with Sire Records and put out her first tune, "Everybody," on April 24. Making a huge impact in the clubs as well as on MTV — which launched a year earlier — she became the top female performer of the '80s — and eventually, according to Guinness World Records, the most successful female artist of all time.

While Madge was revving up her career in 1982, so were the Beasties Boys — although at the time, they were a hardcore-punk band (previously named the Young Aborigines), not a hip-hop troupe. The NYC act issued its punk EP, Polly Wog Stew, that year — but then, with the help of producer Rick Rubin, the Boys Entering Anarchistic States Towards Internal Excellence made the transition into a rap unit. And the rest, they say, is history.

For years, the Beasties have been fighting for their right to party — now they, Madonna and others are fighting for a chance to get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

• Beastie Boys
• Madonna
• Leonard Cohen
• John Mellencamp

John Mellencamp and Willie Nelson at a Farm Aid news conference
Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

There was much ado earlier this year when Bob Geldof revived the concept of the 20-year-old Live Aid concert for Live 8, which aimed to raise awareness and support for the various social and economic issues facing Africa. There has been much less fanfare for the 20th anniversary of a concert that calls attention to a cause in our own backyard.

On Sunday, when Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Wilco, John Mayer, Kenny Chesney, Los Lonely Boys, Dave Matthews and others hit the stage for the 20th-anniversary Farm Aid concert at the Tweeter Center in Tinley Park, Illinois (see "Dave Matthews Joins Mellencamp And Nelson For Farm Aid"), they were carrying on a tradition that began, like some less-worthwhile causes, with an offhand comment by Bob Dylan.

Farm Aid launched in 1985 after Dylan said, during his performance at Live Aid, that someone should organize a show to draw attention to the plight facing American small-farm owners, who are threatened with being forced off their land by large factory farms (or megafarms) that can churn out massive quantities of produce for less money. Nelson took Dylan's words to heart and spearheaded the concert event, which would raise over $7 million in its first year and draw worldwide attention to the cause. The proceeds from the event are used to give farmers grants to help keep their family farms afloat — farms that often provide high-quality, organic food.

"The answer is to get the farmers back on the land, taking care of the land, as it was supposed to be in the beginning," said Nelson, Farm Aid's founder and president. "Eating organic, family-grown food is important to a lot of us, so that's why it's important to take care of the family farmers. They're the backbone of the country."

The September 22, 1985, show drew more than 80,000 people to the Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois, and included Farm Aid co-founders Nelson, Young and Mellencamp, as well as John Fogerty, Johnny Cash, Jon Bon Jovi and Van Halen.

Farmers are also struggling against advancements in the globalization of food trade, where countries like the United States can import agricultural products at a cheaper rate, thanks to free-trade agreements like the North American Free Trade Agreement. However, consumers may not realize that while they are acquiring low-cost products, it is often at a sacrifice of the food's quality, and to the detriment of domestic farmers.

"For the people who founded Farm Aid, it's probably in a much different place now than they thought it would be when they started it 20 years ago," said Michael Solomon, director of communications for The Chronicle of Philanthropy. He credits the organization's longevity to the broadening of its mission — not only to lessen the plight of farmers, but also to focus on the quality of the country's food supply and where it comes from.

Organic-leaning outlets like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's have gained significant ground over the last few years due to a burgeoning movement toward less-processed foods, and farmers' markets continue to sprout and gain support across the nation. However, nearly 70 percent of the U.S.'s 2 million farms lost money in 2002, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture — and Farm Aid has gone a long way toward preventing family farms from becoming a thing of the past.

"I don't think anyone anticipated that it would take this long [to solve the problem]," Farm Aid Executive Director Carolyn Mugar said. "I think the artists thought that if we get together and do something, certainly there is a fast solution. But everyone has come to realize that it's a long-term problem with a long-term solution, so to really get anything done, you have to dig in your heels and stick to it."

Mugar says its famous board members have been "anything but quitters" and have managed to keep Farm Aid as one of the nation's longest running benefit series.

"We're not big — we know we're small," Young said during a 2003 Farm Aid press conference. "We're David versus Goliath, and there's an army of Goliaths against us, but we're not going away. We're going to keep going."

Over its 20-year history, the 17 Farm Aid shows have drummed up more than $27 million to fund grass-roots organizations and its own program initiatives to support American farmers, according to organizers.

"Farmers probably couldn't have asked for a more media-savvy and media-friendly group of people than these guys," Solomon said. "They're all very high-profile and have been able to draw a lot of attention to the cause — which is something farmers never had before Farm Aid came along, so just getting people to think about it has been a victory."

• Willie Nelson
• John Mellencamp
• Neil Young
• John Mayer
• Dave Matthews

Dave Matthews (file)
Photo: Wire Image

Farm Aid is going back to its roots. For the 20th anniversary edition of the benefit for American family farms, organizers are planning a show in Illinois, where the first Farm Aid launched in 1985. Headlined by co-founders Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp, this year's show will feature sets from Neil Young, Dave Matthews, Wilco and more acts to be named soon.

The show, set for September 18 at the Tweeter Center in Tinley Park, Illinois, will be preceded by a week's worth of food and music events in Chicago that organizers said will showcase the city's efforts to "promote family-farm food by linking rural and urban communities." The events will include a county fair on September 17, a film festival, some small venue shows and the release of the Farm Aid book, "Farm Aid: A Song for America."

"From small towns to folks in the city, everybody knows family-farm food is the best," Farm Aid President Nelson said in a statement. "It's good to be back in Illinois where it all started. This state is showing how good food can connect places like [the site of the original 1985 show] Champaign and Chicago. It inspires us to think about family farmers every day. I'm looking forward to playing on the Farm Aid stage, playing music with my friends."

"Farmers have a tremendous impact on the quality of food that we eat," Mellencamp said. "Farm Aid is always a great show, but even more important is that Farm Aid helps the consumer and the family farmer work together for the benefit of all of us."

To date, the 17 Farm Aid shows have raised more than $27 million in support of family farms, according to organizers.

• Dave Matthews Band
• John Mellencamp
• Willie Nelson

Prince
Photo: MTV

George Harrison, Prince, John Mellencamp and Jackson Browne are among those who've made the list of nominees for the 2004 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ballot, a hall of fame spokesperson confirmed Monday.

Artists are eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record. Criteria for consideration include "the influence and significance of the artist's contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll," according to the organization.

Several names that have not made the hall before are back for another try, including the Sex Pistols, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, country rock legend Gram Parsons, Bob Seger, the Stooges, Traffic, Patti Smith and early R&B groups the Dells and the "5" Royales. Despite Ozzy Osbourne's attempts to take them off the ballot in 1999, Black Sabbath are back for another attempt, too, though Osbourne has said he thinks the honor is "meaningless."

Already a member as part of the Beatles, if chosen, George Harrison would be inducted on the merits of his solo work. Harrison, who died of cancer in November 2001 (see "Former Beatle George Harrison Dead At 58"), would be the third Beatle to make the grade, as John Lennon and Paul McCartney have already been inducted into the hall. The Beatles' lead guitarist was the first in the group to go solo, releasing his triple-album debut, All Things Must Pass, in 1970, which featured the hit "My Sweet Lord."

Throughout his 25-year career, Prince has confounded as much as he has entertained, but the divinely nasty legend from Minneapolis has created some of the most enduring funk-soul jams in music history along the way. Beginning with 1978's For You and peaking in the '80s with such landmark albums as 1999, Purple Rain and Around the World in a Day, Prince melded the worlds of screaming rock guitar solos with dance music, pop and R&B, with lyrics that unabashedly exposed his carnal desires.

Indiana's John Mellencamp began his career as generic pop singer Johnny Cougar in 1976, but over the course of nearly 30 years in music has become one of the more respected singer/songwriters of his generation. Initially dismissed as a Bruce Springsteen wannabe, Mellencamp hit his stride in the early '80s with such rock-radio staples as "Jack and Diane" and "Hurts So Good." He soon became known as a chronicler of the plight of the downtrodden American farmer and worker, with such folk-inspired albums as Scarecrow and The Lonesome Jubilee. Along with Neil Young and Willie Nelson, Mellencamp helped found the annual Farm Aid concert benefiting small American farms.

Quintessential 1970s California singer/songwriter Jackson Browne began his career in the late '60s, but didn't come to widespread prominence until 1976's The Pretender, which set the stage for his most popular release, 1977's Running on Empty. That album featured the hit title track as well as "Stay/The Load-Out," a ballad that became the template for nearly every "life on the road" tune that followed.

Ballots for this year's nominations were mailed out last week to the voting members of the rock hall, with inductees slated to be announced before the end of the year. The process begins in the spring, when a group of 75 industry professionals made up of record executives, lawyers, managers, journalists and musicians meet to brainstorm potential nominees. Their list is pared down to fewer than 20, with five to eight inductees chosen by a committee made up of 1,500 voters from throughout the music industry. The performers who receive the highest number of votes, and more than 50 percent of the vote, are inducted.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is located in Cleveland. A date and location for the 2004 ceremony has not yet been announced.

• George Harrison
• The Beatles
• Prince
• John Mellencamp
• Jackson Browne

Beyonce, U2, Usher, More Perform At "We Are One" Inaugural Concert

• U2
• Beyoncé
• Will.I.Am
• Usher
• Shakira

Warning: These Album Covers May Contain Explicit Content

• The Beatles
• The Mamas & The Papas
• Moby Grape
• Jimi Hendrix
• John Lennon

Concert for John Kerry

• Dave Matthews
• Wyclef Jean
• Mary J. Blige
• Bon Jovi
• John Mellencamp