Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Cast your vote for the latest nominees

Published: Sunday, October 03, 2010, 12:30 AM Updated: Sunday, October 03, 2010, 6:16 AM

John Soeder, The Plain Dealer

Mark Terrill, Associated PressNeil Diamond, seen here at the 2009 Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles,
is the closest thing to a lock on the new Rock Hall ballot.

I've never seen the nation so deeply divided.

Neil Diamond or Donna Summer? Who is more deserving of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

And let's not even get started about Kiss and Rush, snubbed again on the latest ballot.

For the 11th consecutive year, we're asking all good citizens of the rock 'n' roll capital of the world to do their civic duty and weigh in
on the latest slate of Rock Hall candidates.

The average fan is excluded from casting an official ballot, a privilege reserved for music-biz insiders and previous inductees. As
always, though, your vote counts with us -- so be sure to take our Readers' Choice Poll, which you'll find at the end of this post. We welcome write-in candidates and comments, too.

...snip

Safe bets

• Beastie Boys: Trendsetting hip-hop trio was nominated in 2007, only to be edged out by the likes of John Mellencamp
and Madonna. I like their chances a lot better this time.

• Neil Diamond: First-time nominee is the closest thing to a lock in this bunch, riding a wave of pent-up demand to see
him get his due. Between scoring hits for himself ("Sweet Caroline") and
for others (the Monkees' "I'm a Believer"), Diamond has proven to be a
24-carat talent.

More and the link to vote in the poll here