A small town in New England has won the competition to host the premiere of The Simpsons Movie.
Springfield, Vermont, which shares its name with the cartoon hometown of Homer Simpson and his dysfunctional family, beat off competition from 13 other Springfields across the United States to claim the prize.
During 18 television seasons of The Simpsons, the fictional Springfield’s location has never been identified.
Each state boasting a Springfield submitted a video making a case to host the premiere. The videos were then posted on the USA Today website, and readers voted for their favourite.
Springfield, Vermont, won thanks to its presentation, which showed a Homer lookalike chasing a giant pink doughnut through the town, causing mayhem.
The townspeople chased after him until they were beckoned into the local cinema, where they sat down to the watch the film’s premiere.
Springfield — with a population of 9 500 — also boasts similarities to its cartoon namesake, having a bowling alley, a pub and a prison, with a nuclear power plant nearby. The film will premiere in its 100-seat cinema on July 21.
But the other 13 Springfields that entered the Hometown Movie Challenge needn’t say: “D’oh!” Each will be given special screenings of the film before it opens nationwide on July 27. – Guardian Unlimited Â