40 Most Glaring Rock Hall of Fame Omissions

Five artists enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tonight—the Hollies, the Stooges, Jimmy Cliff, Genesis, and, no kidding, ABBA—but as always "it seems like whoever gets anointed, or shunned, generates more controversy than the abortion debate and the death penalty combined," writes Jim Farber in the New York Daily News. He looks at the top 40 "bridesmaids at the HOF wedding" and predicts their induction likelihood on a scale of 1 to 4, with 1 meaning "should be ushered in relatively soon":

• Beastie Boys, 1: "Voters love" the "innovative hip-hop act."

• Dick Dale, 1: The "god of surf-rock guitar" can't possibly "go unacknowledged much longer. "
• Warren Zevon, 2: The fact that the singer-songwriter is dead "should hasten his usherance into the inner sanctum."
• Laura Nyro, 2: Farber is baffled that "one of pop's most erudite songwriters" can't get in—but "at least she was nominated."
• Public Enemy, 2: Not long now for the "Led Zeppelin of hip-hop."
• The Cars, 3: "Their Top 40 status hurts their rock cred."
• Alice Cooper, 3: "The kitsch of the image overwhelms the thrill of the music."

To see the full list, click here.
(More Rock and Roll Hall of Fame stories.)