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Vermont's Springfield wins "Simpsons" premiere

Posted July 10, 2007 11:00 pm

Bruce Rushton

Amid allegations of ballot stuffing, a Springfield in Vermont has won the premiere of "The Simpsons Movie."

Springfield, Ill., finished second in online balloting in a contest involving 14 Springfields, each of which submitted a video that was posted on USA Today's Web site so readers could vote for their favorite.

The margin was tight, but calling it a crushing loss is an understatement.

The Vermont Springfield got more votes than it has residents, which didn't go unnoticed by several suspicious election watchers who posted messages on USA Today's Web site. The head of the local chamber of commerce also confessed in a Vermont newspaper to voting several times from computer labs at a high school.

"I would've lost with grace if the winner had been Oregon or even Mass.," wrote Ildrealwinner on USA Today's Web page. "But I'll not lose with grace with VERMONT as the winner. Everyone knows it was all just based on who could cheat the most."

Which makes matters that much worse in a state infamous for ballot fraud. Even if cheating was rampant, Illinois, it seems, has been out-Illinoised. What will they take next, Lincoln's Tomb?

Vermonters were making no apologies.

"After 18 years, it's good to finally welcome the Simpsons home," said U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-BenandJerry, in a written statement. "Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie will look great on that yellow carpet with the Green Mountains as a backdrop."

Tim Kavanagh, who played Homer Simpson in Vermont's video, said he already has a tuxedo for the occasion.

Baby blue?

"With ruffles," said Kavanagh, who chases a large doughnut through town in the winning video. "That's what's in fashion in Vermont these days."

Unofficial results showed the Springfields from Vermont and Illinois battling for the lead in the final hours. Springfield, Ore., also was a strong contender during most of the weeklong election, but fell away as the voting deadline neared.

Kavanagh insisted that Vermont didn't cheat.

"Trust me, we're not savvy enough," he said. "Honestly, the video itself was different from the other 13. We're the only ones that did a video that looked like a Simpsons episode."

Kavanagh had a message for Springfield (Ill.) Mayor Tim Davlin, who appeared on an "ABC World News Tonight" segment on Monday and challenged other Springfields to eat his shorts.

"My question is, whose shorts is he going to eat now?" Kavanagh asked. "Tell him Homer's got some doughnut-filled ones for him."

Davlin was defiant in a prepared statement issued after results were announced, saying that Illinois is the true home of the Simpsons, regardless of election results.

"We knew all along that it would be a tough battle against the other cities who claim a relationship with the television program," Davlin said. "But who can argue that being home to Mel-O-Cream, Springfield High School, the power plant, Evergreen Terrace and our very own Mr. Burns (aka Todd Renfrow, general manager of City Water, Light and Power) puts us right at the top? We can all be proud of the effort to show the rest of the country that we really are the home of 'The Simpsons.'"

In a statement issued Tuesday, Vermont Gov. James Douglas called his state's victory "improbable."

"Today, I congratulate the entire community of Springfield for their Herculean efforts to overcome tremendous odds and bring 'The Simpsons Movie' world premiere to Vermont," Douglas said. "This is an exciting, exhilarating moment for Vermonters.

"Perhaps more importantly, it proves there's really nothing a giant donut can't do."

The 13 also-ran Springfields will get advance screenings of the movie on July 26, but there will be no yellow carpet, nor will the movie's creators attend. (No other details were available Tuesday on plans for the Illinois movie preview.)

Instead, the film personalities will be in Vermont, saying "Mmmm, popcorn" and rubbing shoulders with folks like Kavanagh.

"Is this unbelievable or what?" Kavanagh said. "This has just been a fun ride the whole way through."

Bruce Rushton can be reached at (217) 788-1542 or bruce.rushton@sj-r.com.

TO RUN IN BOX:

Vote totals:

Vermont: 15,367

Illinois: 14,634

Oregon: 13,894

Massachusetts: 11,442

Kentucky: 9,985

Missouri: 9,535

Ohio: 7,442

Tennessee: 7,098

New Jersey: 7,063

Colorado: 3,632

Nebraska: 3,201

Michigan: 2,516

Louisiana: 2,387

Florida: 1,386

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