The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The mere mention of this venerable American historical institution (and its attached museum in Cleveland, Ohio) is enough to conjure up images of grizzled pop stars enjoying one last day in the sun. Judging by recent inclusions - Jeff Beck, Genesis, John Mellencamp, Van Halen - you'd be forgiven for wondering whether the jurors have their car radios permanently stuck on a classic rock drive-time show. But last week, something strange happened when the shortlist for the class of 2012 was announced. Whisper it, but the bands included were actually pretty good. Cool, even.
Sure, there were still nods to the old-timers. Power balladeers Heart, Joan Jett - famous for her enduring 1975 hit I Love Rock'N'Roll - and the long since departed bluesman Freddie King all made the 15-strong list, which will be whittled down to around five artists in April. But they were joined by the Beastie Boys, the goth progenitors The Cure and the hip-hop innovators Eric B & Rakim. Elsewhere, Sweet Child O' Mine might be a karaoke and wedding disco favourite, but anyone who grew up in the 1980s cannot help but have a soft spot for Guns N' Roses, before the fame went to dear old Axl Rose's head. And all the cool kids who bought Nirvana's Nevermind probably filed it next to the exuberant funk-rock album Blood Sugar Sex Magik by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Antony Kiedis's band were also nominated.
Even some of the "oldies" on the list are critics' favourites. Take Donovan, whose psychedelic flower-power folk still captivates the reunion circuit. Without Laura Nyro, Bob Stanley argued in The Guardian last year, it's arguable there would be no Kate Bush or Björk. And Donna Summer's groundbreaking 1977 hit I Feel Love is often credited with kick-starting dance music.
Still, it's probably a bit early to start heralding a change in direction for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - not least because this isn't the first time the Beastie Boys have been nominated. Recent years have also been characterised by some half-decent inclusions, such as Talking Heads in 2002, The Clash in 2003 and REM in 2007. But there is the sense that the people behind the Hall of Fame are more aware that something needs to be done to drag it into the 21st century.
The problem they have is unfortunately of their own making: the accolade often seems old and largely irrelevant mainly because the bands it celebrates usually are. Artists are only eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record. While that's an admirable safety mechanism against the one-hit wonder, it does fly in the face of how the music industry operates. Although pop continually borrows from the past, it's the forward momentum, the thrill of the new that keeps it exciting. Otherwise, we'd all be content with listening to the first Coldplay album from 2000 rather than wondering whether their fifth album Mylo Xyloto, out later this month, will in fact cement their place in the rock'n'roll canon.
It would be a major surprise, of course, if Coldplay weren't nominated in 2025 - and that's the other criticism with the Hall of Fame; that it tends to celebrate the same sorts of multimillion-selling artists who tour arenas and win Grammys. It is, in the end, predictable. If the people in charge were really keen on change, then bands such as The Smiths - a group whose influence on popular music is far greater than their sales - should be recognised. Even the name, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, is slightly outmoded. Last time we checked, the inductees Grandmaster Flash and Run-DMC - and the shortlisted Eric B And Rakim - were very much hip-hop acts.
So perhaps the only people who really need the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are the museum in Cleveland, and the forgotten artists for whom induction could be a much-needed boost to their back catalogues. They don't tend to get inducted very often, sadly. But if this list encourages just one person to return to the youthful brilliance of the Beastie Boys' second album Paul's Boutique, or the exuberant, mysterious goth pop of The Cure's Lovecats, it will in a way have done part of its job. In the meantime, it's only 24 years until Justin Bieber can be included in the Hall of Fame, at which point he'll be coming to terms with life as a fortysomething. Horrifying thought, isn't it? Bet he will still look like a teenager, though.
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
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Top 10 most polluted cities
- Bhiwadi, India
- Ghaziabad, India
- Hotan, China
- Delhi, India
- Jaunpur, India
- Faisalabad, Pakistan
- Noida, India
- Bahawalpur, Pakistan
- Peshawar, Pakistan
- Bagpat, India
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl
Power: 153hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: Dh99,000
On sale: now
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Sri Lanka's T20I squad
Thisara Perera (captain), Dilshan Munaweera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Ashan Priyanjan, Mahela Udawatte, Dasun Shanaka, Sachith Pathirana, Vikum Sanjaya, Lahiru Gamage, Seekkuge Prasanna, Vishwa Fernando, Isuru Udana, Jeffrey Vandersay and Chathuranga de Silva.
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RACE RESULTS
1. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Mercedes) 1hr 21min 48.527sec
2. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Ferrari) at 0.658sec
3. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/Red Bull) 6.012
4. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 7.430
5. Kimi Räikkönen (FIN/Ferrari) 20.370
6. Romain Grosjean (FRA/Haas) 1:13.160
7. Sergio Pérez (MEX/Force India) 1 lap
8. Esteban Ocon (FRA/Force India) 1 lap
9. Felipe Massa (BRA/Williams) 1 lap
10. Lance Stroll (CAN/Williams) 1 lap
11. Jolyon Palmer (GBR/Renault) 1 lap
12. Stoffel Vandoorne (BEL/McLaren) 1 lap
13. Nico Hülkenberg (GER/Renault) 1 lap
14. Pascal Wehrlein (GER/Sauber) 1 lap
15. Marcus Ericsson (SWE/Sauber) 2 laps
16. Daniil Kvyat (RUS/Toro Rosso) 3 laps
Thor: Ragnarok
Dir: Taika Waititi
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Mark Ruffalo, Tessa Thompson
Four stars
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Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
Sugary teas and iced coffees
The tax authority is yet to release a list of the taxed products, but it appears likely that sugary iced teas and cold coffees will be hit.
For instance, the non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Cold coffee brands are likely to be hit too. Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
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The biog
Name: Fareed Lafta
Age: 40
From: Baghdad, Iraq
Mission: Promote world peace
Favourite poet: Al Mutanabbi
Role models: His parents
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