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It’s official: Springfield, Vt., is the home of Homer Simpson’s family, according to voters at USATODAY.com.
The town of 9,300 will host the official The Simpsons Movie premiere at its own Springfield Movie Theatre July 21 with the movie’s filmmakers on hand to walk the yellow carpet.
“We’re so excited,” says Patricia Chaffee, vice president of the Springfield Regional Chamber of Commerce. “We came in at the last minute, and for us to win, we feel like the underdogs, which makes this so big and so great for us.”
…By the way, I’m told by a reporter who interviewed the governor last week that Blagojevich hadn’t ever heard of The Simpson’s TV show.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 1:06 pm
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Springfield in politically correct VT? Nuclear power plant? belching smokestacks? No one on the Simpsons wears Birkenstocks or shops at L. L. Bean. Real cheddar instead of Springfield staple Cheez-Whiz? What a wuzzy disappointment.
Comment by jaundiced eye Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 1:13 pm
This vote was rigged…
Comment by Crimefighter Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 1:14 pm
Somehow this is Rod’s fault….
Comment by OneManBlog Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 1:19 pm
The vote was based on those videos, nothing more nothing less.
The Springfield IL video was pathetic, I didn’t even vote for it. I couldn’t even stay awake for it!
Comment by Napoleon has left the building Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 1:19 pm
Probably karmatic retribution for the SJ-R being such hosejobs about posting vote totals despite USA Today asking that they not.
Comment by Jdub Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 1:23 pm
Why would they want to come to Springfield, Illinois anyway? I know of at least 173 people that are dying to get the heck out of here!
Comment by Beerman Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 1:24 pm
Ah dang… I want it to be here in IL just so I could brag to my friends out of state!
Comment by Peace to all Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 1:26 pm
How did Vermont rack up more votes for their town than it has people? And how could our Springfield have so few votes compared to population????
Comment by Just Saying Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 1:29 pm
The best video won, in my opinion. Vermont did a great job.
As for the Illinois video, let’s just say I’ve seen high schoolers on YouTube make something funnier.
Comment by Kiyoshi Martinez Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 1:31 pm
How can a town of 9300 possibly out-vote a town of 120,000+? It does seem a little fishy.
Comment by Downstater Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 1:32 pm
Springfield, IL is definitely still cursed. Molson & Lee ask…well what would you bring to Springfield? For starters, make the IL State Fair year-round, since that seems to be the only attraction people travel in droves to, open a 40,000 seat arena to open up a variety of events, move Branson, MO here, move the Mall of America here…
Comment by Crimefighter Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 1:50 pm
The failure of Illinois to win this important contest lies solely with Speaker Madigan for refusing to allow the members of the House to vote in the USA Today poll.
Comment by Sheila Nix Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 1:54 pm
Springfield, VT!?! Something “Phishy” is going on here…
Comment by Say It Ain't So, Mo! Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 1:54 pm
I ask Ms. Nix why the Governor is grandstanding on this issue now, when he’s been silent the entire time the contest has been run. There has been a clear failure of leadership on the Governor’s part, and that is why we didn’t win this contest.
Comment by Steve Brown Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 1:56 pm
We demand a recount.
Comment by Anon Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 1:58 pm
I suspect that Springfield, Vermont, won because, like its animated counterpart, it is a completely fictional city.
Comment by Jim Leach Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 2:19 pm
Anyone know what the vote totals were?
Comment by anon Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 2:21 pm
USA Today has the vote totals. Illinois came in 2nd, about 700 votes shy.
Comment by Juice Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 2:26 pm
The website gives the vote totals: http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/simpsons-contest.htm
Comment by S. Illinois Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 2:32 pm
dang those hanging chads…we should have won!
Comment by Ghost Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 2:46 pm
Then brew Stag beer in Springfield.
That’d be better than any Simpsons movie.
Comment by Macbeth Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 2:47 pm
Do we have mountains?
Do we have a Teddy Kennedyeque sound alike as mayor?
Do we have canyons?
Or oceans?
Anyone with a clue as to geography would recognize that the Simpson’s Springfield isn’t the one in Illinois.
It should have been Massachusetts, but Vermont will do considering that it has all those things. It is only one hour from the ocean, btw.
Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 2:53 pm
I don’t know if this is a good thing or a bad thing.
Comment by Levois Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 2:54 pm
Dude - I totally swear there was an Simpsons done a la “Behind the Music” where they said they were from Northeastern Kentucky.
Comment by Snake Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 3:02 pm
Thank you, get out and come again!
Comment by Apu Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 3:03 pm
Who cares? The Simpsons were cool 10 years ago, but this stunt is just the creators and producers trying to breathe life into something that hasn’t been worth watching since the turn of the century. They belong in Vermont.
Comment by Jaded Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 3:14 pm
maybee the arrogance of our mayor in all those interviews had somthing to do with the way people preceived springfield illinois.
Comment by get real Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 3:25 pm
Doh!!!!!!!!!!
Comment by Homer Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 3:32 pm
VanillaMan…
Any serious fan could tell you that no one city could possibly have all the geographic features that exist in Springfield, USA (the *actual* city the Simpsons live in).
The place apparently 1.) borders an ocean 2.) has a massive, snow-covered mountain, 3.)has a large canyon, 4.)can support citrus trees, 5.)has a flat, artificially defined border with another town, Shelbyville, 6.) a large cliff overlooking the city, 7.)and “has only one bridge out of town.”
So… while it’s not a perfect replication, Springfield, IL, is no worse than any others.
Comment by anonymous409 Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 3:41 pm
Rich, I have tomorrow’s QOTD: What Simpson’s character does the Governor resemble? MJM? Emil?
Comment by jwscott72 Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 4:07 pm
Since the Governor doesn’t seem to know where Springfield is until very recently, not surprising that he had not heard of the Simpson’s. Perhaps the Governor can make another cameo ala the Daily Show, another allegedly unknown program to him before his birth control appearance.
Comment by Simpson's???? Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 4:08 pm
Immediately after they announced the winner, the state of Vermont issued a press release saying how hard it was to keep the secret of them winning for an whole week ! THe voting didn’t even end until last night ! Right after that, the press release was removed and a new one went up. So it was fixed, what a shocker.
Comment by anon Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 4:13 pm
Let me guess. After the reporter asked the Governor about The Simpsons, Blago said “there are 1.4 million people in Illinois without health insurance.”
BTW, the proper response to the Governor when he gets that song stuck in his head is “there are 1.4 million poor people in Illinois paying taxes that no one in their right mind would force the poor people to pay when they can’t afford health insurance.”
Chicago’s 15% electricity taxes, 1 day notice street cleaning parking taxes/fines, the water taxes Blago and the Dems put on the locals 4 years ago, gasoline taxes, phone taxes, sales taxes, highest in the US tobacco taxes…
Comment by Jeff Trigg Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 4:21 pm
I have never been so dissappointed in Mayor Davlin. Good thing there is term limits in Springfield.
Comment by Truth in Budgeting Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 4:30 pm
Blagojevich has never heard of the Simpsons? Where in the world has this guy been? Does he even live on this planet?
Comment by Squideshi Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 4:48 pm
Take yourself seriously much, Vanilla?
Matt Groening, the creator (by the way, Springfield, IL video producers - he pronounces it like “graining,” not “groaning,” a factoid that would have lent some credibility to the effort, though I did ring up votes for IL) is from Oregon and has said Springfield, OR was the inspiration.
Obviously the TV Springfield isn’t clearly defined. It was for, you know…fun.
BTW, you might have added that “Capitol City” is often spoken of as a separate city.
Comment by Jon Shibley Fan Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 5:12 pm
Okay, I can see GRod not having heard of “The Daily Show” — but any DECENT press person would have briefed him about the show — But “The Simpsons?” Has this man been living under a rock?? Never saw a Bart Simpson T-Shirt? Or is he just SOS — Stuck on Stupid???
No wonder the GA asks for Memos of Understanding on everything that man promises. Either he’s lying, or has no memory cells.
Comment by 312 Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 5:48 pm
Rich, I loved your question asking which Springfield politician is most like characters on the Simpsons. How about another one but instead of using the Simpsons we use Harry Potter?
Blagojevich should be Harry’s cousin Dudley Dursley.
Comment by It's Just Me Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 6:30 pm
The reason the Gov. has never heard of the Simpson’s is that his aircraft gets poor TV reception.
Comment by Big Al Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 6:31 pm
One caller to WMAY suggested that this is why Blagojevich can’t meet on the budget–he’s been in his office voting for Vermont over and over, cackling maniacally. Last week I’d have said that was farfetched.
No place could geographically be Springfield. The Simpsons Springfield has desert, ocean waterfront, huge mountain peaks, a gorge that appears to be part of the Grand Canyon, old-growth forest . . . .
Comment by Don Gwinn Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 6:32 pm
Recount!
Comment by SHS Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 7:07 pm
If the Daleys had been running the vote, it wouldn’t have even been close. VT never woulda seen it coming.
Goodbye, Mayor Davlin….
Comment by Arthur Andersen Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 7:46 pm
Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It’s what separates us from the animals … except the weasel.
Comment by Moose Hicks Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 8:09 pm
Rod really thinks we are stupid ort maybe he is. First, he thought the Daily Show was real, not he has never heard of the Simpsons? Possibly th efunniest show for 10 years? The last several do not count, cause they were awful.
As for the contest, we had a Rod and a Todd, they should have comapaigned as the Flanders’s.
Comment by Wumpus Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 8:50 pm
Much like the governor’s GRT vote in the House, this is what Springfield IL wanted. C’mon, if there was an actual Springfield contest in The Simpsons, do you think their Springfield would win? No, Homer would screw it up and somewhere like Vermont would win.
Davlin should declare victory given these results.
Of course the “real”title was pretty much doomed the moment the SJR decided to taunt USA Today about the vote totals. Never a good idea to make fun of the people counting the votes if you actually want to win.
I guess we all know how Rich Whitney feels now, so close and yet so meaningless.
Comment by Michelle Flaherty Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 9:32 pm
Anyone who thinks the Illinois video was so bad, try checking out some of the others. There were a lot of terrible entries. Ours was one of the better ones, comparatively. I liked it until that prolonged rant at the end. And where was Springfield’s answer to Mr. Burns? Why wasn’t he more featured? He could have put us over the top.
On the margins, Vermont just had a better video, and that’s probably what spelled victory.
Comment by ZC Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 10:05 pm
Totally Rod’s fault. And it’s just like him to deny he knew anything about it.
Comment by Bridget Dooley Tuesday, Jul 10, 07 @ 10:51 pm
“I guess we all know how Rich Whitney feels now, so close and yet so meaningless.”
I happen to know Rich Whitney personally, and I know for a fact that he does not feel meaningless.
He’s very happy that more than 10% of the electorate voted for him, despite neither raising nor spending even a small fraction of what the other candidates did and in the face of election laws virtually designed to exclude him.
Not to speak for Rich, but I can tell you that he considers achieving more than twice the amount needed in order to legally establish the Green Party as a major political party statewide, and within every jurisdiction therein, a major victory. He’s in this for the long term, just like we all are. None of us expect the tide to turn in a single election–change is a slow and continual process; and so long as our membership numbers, number of candidates, vote totals, and number of elected officials continues to rise, many of us will consider this to be success.
Comment by Squideshi Thursday, Jul 12, 07 @ 5:15 am