The Smiths To Be Inducted Into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?

I've never expected The Smiths to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Their influence on rock is undeniable, but unlike The Police or The Clash, they never scored any mainstream success here. But, to my surprise, NME reports that the group is one the names being mulled over for inclusion in 2008. There is that question of whether Morrissey would show up and do the customary performance with his former bandmates, but Moz has long dismissed any talk of a Smiths reunion, and the wounds between him and Mike Joyce are still tender after a lengthy court battle over royalty payments. Seriously, though – and I mean this in the best way – can you imagine Morrissey sharing such an occasion with anyone, most notably the other inductees? (His head would take up half the stage, both literally and figuratively.) That would be against everything Morrissey stands for, which is, in short, Morrissey.

By the way, tickets for Morrissey's concert at Madison Square Garden go on sale on Monday morning!

In other news:

• Paris Hilton is being linked to James Blunt. (Page Six)
• Kate Middleton was all smiles on her first night out after her split from Prince William. (Daily Mail)
• Higher death tolls for British soldiers in Iraq have increased fears for Prince Harry's safety when he's deployed next month. (Telegraph)
• Heather Mills' mid-air dancing performance failed to entertain passengers. (Daily Mail)
• Keira Knightley has been stripped of her digital Wonderbra in the new Pirates of the Caribbean posters. (Daily Mail)
• Equus is set to close when Daniel Radcliffe leaves to film the next Harry Potter in June, reports The Daily Mail. The paper had previously reported that Jamie Bell was to take on the role.
• The Fug Girls are best-known for being the Web's wittier answer to Joan and Melissa, but who knew they were also adept cultural commentators? In New York Magazine, they take on Madonna's reported adoption spree in Malawi. Is she merely imitating Angelina Jolie? "The trouble is, Madonna's actions don't come off as authentic as Jolie's do. It's not that we think either one is adopting without genuinely loving intentions. But everything in Hollywood is choreographed, so it's what [sic] around the adoption that makes us more or less cynical about its purpose. Where Angelina's philanthropy was well established, and zealously continued since the kids, Madge's giving streak seems like a very sudden invention."
• British stars like Kate Winslet and Hugh Laurie are the most humble celebrity, according to an US Weekly poll. Justin "D*ck in a Box" Timberlake and yes, Angelina Jolie, were voted to be the most egotistical.
  (Contact Music)