The 23rd Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony took place in New York last night. Here are some of the evening’s best moments. Check out videos from the Inductees.

1. Justin Timberlake Brings Sexy Back.

Mr. Love Sounds made the word “induct” seem like the nastiet verb of the evening. He inducted Madonna with all the cheek you’d expect from a global pop star, telling tales about Madge helping him with a flu bug by ordering that he drop his pants and take a B-12 shot in the ass as the pair collaborated on M’s upcoming Hard Candy. He also shot an arrow or two at his ex. “The world is full of Madonna wannabes. I might have even dated a couple.”

2. Madonna Cops to Her Inner Punk & Dancefloor Druggin’

During a heartfelt acceptance speech, the singer explained her early days, learning to play drums to Elvis Costello records in the basement of an abandoned Queens synagogue and dropping a tab of ecstasy the night she jammed her demo tape into the hands of a Sire records A&R man. She also acknowledged her first big media explosion, “rolling around on the floor of the MTV awards with my ass hanging out.” During the wham-bam performance of “Burning Up” and “Ray of Light” by the Stooges, she was seen rocking along in the front row of the audience.

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Rolling Stone tells us that The Stooges are going to be saluting their Motor City sister Madonna at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies next Monday night, March 10. (VH1 Classic is airing the entire show live at 8:30 pm.). Crazy, right? But crazy is good. What Madge track would you like to see Iggy and the boys rip apart? Let’s assume it isn’t “Papa Don’t Preach” and let’s hope it’s “Into The Groove.” And if you really want to be a dreamer, imagine a world where the Material Lady has a bit too much bubbly, heaves her yoga pad in the corner, and jumps on stage to help the boys ramrod through “Real Cool Time.”

Other heroes will celebrate their forebears, too. Damien Rice (read a classic interview here) will salute Leonard Cohen, James Cotton will evoke Little Walter, and Gamble & Huff  will get a tip of the hat from Patti LaBelle. Watch videos by some of the inductees.

Who are you psyched to see?

The Dave Clark Five were a key component of the British Invasion that swept America in the early ’60s. Following in the Beatles’ footsteps, they launched a string of hits up the charts that included certified stompers such as “Glad All Over,” “Bits and Pieces,” and “Anyway You Want It.” This year, on March 10 to be exact, the band will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, so it’s sad to report that singer Mike Smith won’t be there. He died in Britain yesterday at the age of 64. Billboard reminds that the band was a powerhouse in its heyday, selling 50 million albums. Check Smith and the guys singing their smash ballad “Because” above. After the jump we’ve thrown the theme from their movie, “Catch Us If You Can.”

VH1 Classic will air the entire Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction show on March 10. Here’s a list of the other inductees.
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We’re hoping that you already know about Justin Timberlake being the lucky guy to induct Madonna into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday, March 10 in NYC. Futurelovesexsounds will be coming from his mouth as he takes to the podium to with a speech regarding Madge’s impact on the 20th century. The Hall announced its list of inductors yesterday, and there are some cool match-ups. It’s Tom Hanks, the writer/director of the jangle-pop flick That Thing You Do, will welcome the Dave Clark Five. Lou Reed is set to wax poetic about the work of Leonard Cohen. Billy Joel will sing the praises of John Mellencamp. Ben Harper will give us a short history of blues harmonicat Little Walter. John Fogerty will praise the instrumental surf twang of the Ventures. Jerry Butler will salute the impact of Philly R&B kingpins Gamble & Huff.

VH1 Classic will be airing the show live on March 10. VH1 will show it on March 22. But there’s still a chance for you to be there in the flesh. You’ve got ONE more day to enter our sweepstakes and take in the whole deal first-hand. Fill out the forms, dude!

Here’s a string of photos of artists who are already in the Hall.

It’s hard to define rock and roll these days. Punk pissiness, hard-hitting blues, disco fever? It’s all got an attitude that suits the music’s essence. This year the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is all over the place with its inductees list – and that’s good. Pop’s agent provocateur Madonna, the punchy denim rocker John Mellencamp, the sophisticated poet Leonard Cohen; each will be on board at the Hall’s annual ceremony at New York’s Waldorf Astoria. This time around it’s scheduled for March 10, 2008. VH1 Classic will show the event live. Here’s the entire list.

Madonna
She’s been blowing minds ever since she wore underwear as outerwear, back in the early ’80s. The Material Girl is the ultimate changeling, moving from dance pop to trance pop, reinvigorating the art of spectacle along the way.

John Mellencamp
His began as a chart-topping tough guy, fighting authority and singing ditties about Jack and Diane. He became a dedicated man of the people, rocking political moves with Farm Aid and his recent Jena Six track.

Leonard Cohen
A soft-spoken lyricist who worked in Dylan’s shadow and created cinematic tracks about the anxiety of love, the Canadian bard has always worked the philosophical angle. His miniatures ask big questions.

The Dave Clark Five
They rode the coat tails of the Beatles, but give it up: the Brit-Pop wonders dropped a string of great, frenzied songs between ‘64 – ‘66. From “Can’t You See That She’s Mine” to “Catch Us If You Can,” they were a blast.

The Ventures
Car tunes, surf tunes, riff tunes – the instrumental combo cornered the market on cool, oddball ditties in the early ’60s with classics such as “Walk, Don’t Run,” “Telstar,” and “Apache.” Every garage band has played one of their tunes at least once.

Little Walter
A master of the blues harp, the rough and tumble band leader helped Muddy Waters build his fierce and sexy Chicago blues before breaking off on his own to cut an array of gnarled little gems such as “Juke” and “Off the Wall.”

Gamble & Huff
Writers and producers both, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff hooked up to concoct one of R&B most durable sounds: Philly Soul. They’re responsible for the perfection that is Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes‘ “Back Stabbers” and The O’Jays‘ “Love Train.”

Which artist are you most hot to see at the Hall of Fame show?

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