Although the Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame seven years ago, Joey Ramone, who died prior to the ceremony, never got the proper honors that were entitled to him. Apparently, the induction award presentation and acceptance on his behalf were omitted from the ceremony schedule, so his statue was left at the dais.

That oversight was finally corrected Thursday afternoon at the Rock and Roll Hall Annex NYC, where the induction award was formally re-presented for the singer, who died in 2001 from lymphoma. Ramone's brother Mickey Leigh and original Ramones drummer Tommy Ramone accepted the award on Joey's behalf from Danny Fields, the group's first manager. Also in attendance were "Handsome Dick" Manitoba of '70s punk band the Dictators and author Legs McNeil. All of them spoke at the event, then posed for pictures at the Annex's CBGB exhibit, which honors the now-defunct club where the band became famous.

Heavy metal, hip-hop and guitar rock highlighted last night's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony in Cleveland, as Metallica, Run-D.M.C. and Jeff Beck were among the several inductees honored.

A very happy Metallica were all smiles and hugs when they accepted their honors along with Ray Burton, the father of former bassist Cliff Burton, who died in a bus accident in 1986. The special occasion also saw Metallica reunite with Jason Newsted, who was the heavy metal band's bass player for 15 years, and had appeared on the classic albums '...And Justice for All' and 'Metallica.' Both Metallica and Newsted were onstage together performing 'Master of Puppets' and 'Enter Sandman.'

"An award like this at a time when Metallica is still current, vital and relevant is just an honor," said guitarist Kirk Hammett at the podium. "It's a truly, truly great honor to be with you guys in this wild music adventure and I'm looking forward to continuing to create inspired music."

Riding high from the mammoth success of their most recent album, 'Death Magnetic,' Metallica can add one more accomplishment under their belt: Rock and Roll Hall of Famers.

The rockers, along with Run-D.M.C., Jeff Beck, Little Anthony and the Imperials, and Bobby Womack were selected as this year's inductees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The ceremony will be held on April 4 in Cleveland, home of the Rock Hall, and televised on Fuse TV.

"It's about unity," said drummer Lars Ulrich, who along with fellow members singer James Hetfield, guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo, was present at the Rock Hall press conference in New York on Tuesday. "We are part of a bigger picture. I personally love rock 'n' roll history and how everything fits together. To be a part of that history and to inspire what's coming after us is a great, great honor."

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.