Kennedy makes pitch for Homer

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) is being a homer for the Bay State. The New England politico wants the premiere of “The Simpsons Movie” in Springfield, Mass., as opposed to the namesake cities in Indiana, Missouri, Ohio and 10 other states.

In the Fox network cartoon series, the Simpsons live in a place called Springfield, but exactly where that town is has always been purposefully vague. But not to Kennedy: “I know the answer -- it’s undoubtedly Springfield, MA!” the liberal icon wrote in a public letter from his Committee for a Democratic Majority. “We’d love to welcome Marge, Homer, Bart, Lisa, Maggie, Abe and all the residents of TV’s Springfield to our great city.”

All the Springfields are vying for the premiere via a contest on the USA Today website. Kennedy, who does a mean Mayor Quimby without even trying, pops up in the Massachusetts entry. “I can tell you it’s fun and a real home run ... with your help, as the great Ralph Wiggum would say, it’s ‘unpossible’ for us to lose,” the senator wrote in the letter. Voting runs through July 9, and the movie opens July 27.