Springfield, Vermont, that is:
SPRINGFIELD, Vt. — Rolling out the yellow carpet, the “hometown” of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie played host Saturday to the premiere of “The Simpsons Movie,” with creator Matt Groening among thousands who turned out to toast the debut.
The film’s producers were also in the crowd celebrating the TV cartoon family’s first full-length film.
Streets were closed off, costumed Simpsons lookalikes walked through the crowds and blue-haired fans vied for tickets to one of four showings of the movie at the 212-seat Springfield Theater, the first of which was by invitation only.
“As Homer would say, ‘Woo-hoo!’” Groening said in a short ceremony before the first showing.
Groening and other VIPs walked the yellow carpet to a stage set up in a bank parking lot for the ceremony, where former Phish member Page McConnell played “The Simpsons” theme song on keyboards.
Brock Rutter of the Vermont Film Commission, noting the premiere’s intensity, declared: “I think it’s quite clearly bigger than Elvis and the Beatles put together.”
Or, as Homer once said, bigger than Jesus:
Meanwhile, The Best Week Ever lists the ten best Simpsons’ episode endings of all time.
Even Harper’s Bazaar is getting in on the act.
