Bart Stars

This is a special slideshow tribute to the 200 locals who appeared in the winning Hometown Challenge Simpsons video contest.

The volunteer video actors and extras were not thanked or even acknowledged during the public ceremony on world premiere day. Instead, the giant donut was rolled out twice for the crowd to cheer. Then most were denied tickets to the four free world premiere showings that day. One would have thought they'd be the first to be offered tickets. Amid the hundreds of happy people in the crowd that day, the video's leading lady Kay Ward appeared forlorn standing off to the side next to the theater's brick wall, "They wouldn't have won without us." she said. Another woman who also had a speaking part in the video standing elsewhere in the crowd echoed the same disappointment.

The official explanation was 200 was just too many. When asked if just a few with the most visible roles could represent the rest of the group and be given tickets, the answer was no because, "That wouldn't be fair to the others."

They were, of course, welcome to participate with thousands of the general public in the free raffle drawing for tickets and a small percentage were able to get tickets that way. Many of the more prominent citizens in town did not have to compete with average citizens to be awarded premiere tickets, they were just quietly given two or more.

The Town Manager was overheard laughing that he got tickets and he never even watched the Simpsons before on TV until all this happened. Some extreme Simpsons fans traveled long distances hoping to be lucky enough to get there numbers drawn.

To read more on this from other of our video stars, check out the online guestbook at The Simpsons Springfield Vermont. The also contains links to many articles, photos, videos, radio interviews and more all about the big Hollywood premiere in small town Vermont and events leading up to it.

By the way, they didn't miss much, the street party outside the theater was much better than the movie which had a ridiculous plot. It would have been better it they just had a series of of funny daily life in Springfield vignettes like they started the movie with.

Bart Stars Slideshow

(If anyone can identify any of the unnamed, the information will be much appreciated. Send by email to the editor, ed44vt@gmail.com .)