Maybe If the Town Hosted the Doughnut Hall of Fame Instead...

Well, the results are in: Our neighbor to the northwest, Springfield, VT, will host the official premiere of The Simpsons Movie, beating out our own Springfield, MA. But at least it's still going to be an SNFE premiere, and I, for one, can't wait. (We're big Simpsons fans in my household.)

From today's Globe (scroll down past the snit between environmentalist Laurie David and her neighbors):

D'oh! Springfield, Mass., won't be hosting the official premiere of "The Simpsons Movie." Instead, the honor goes to Springfield, Vt. -- population 9,300 -- thanks to a short video about Homer Simpson chasing a giant, rolling doughnut through town. Fourteen cities named Springfield (home of TV's favorite animated family) posted 5-minute films on USA Today's website, and the public voted for the winner over the past week. "I almost drove off the road when I heard," said Vermont television producer Tim Kavanagh, who played Homer.

Springfield, Mass., placed fourth with 11,442 votes, behind Vermont, Oregon, and Illinois. "If it had to be anyone else, I'm glad it was Vermont," said David Horgan, director of the Massachusetts video. "The smallest state -- the one that everyone thought had no chance -- won it all." Each participating Springfield will host its own premiere on July 26, but Vermont gets first dibs on July 21. "We've never hosted a movie premiere, but we're ecstatic," said Patricia Chaffee of the Springfield, Vt., Chamber of Commerce.

I guess in the end, having Hoop Hall wasn't quite enough to put the Massachusetts Springfield over the top (athletics were never a big draw for Homer). But considering we came in 4th out of 13, I think I'll be happy with that old Hollywood standby: It's an honor just to be nominated.

Live it up, Springfielders, wherever you are! (Or Springfieldaweenians, as my husband would say.)