...but which one?

A total of 16 American cities which share their name with Homer’s hometown have been invited to compete for the honour of hosting the event.

The Fox studio has asked the towns to submit short films showcasing their communities and highlighting links to the Simpson.

Springfield in Oregon, the home state of Simpsons creator Matt Groening, has already expressed an interest in hosting the high-profile launch.

Mayor Sid Leiken told the local Register-Guard newspaper: ‘If we're selected, that's nationwide and even worldwide exposure for us,

There’s plenty of serious issues to talk about, but this is something that we might as well try to have a little fun with.

Groening has previous said he chose ‘Springfield’ because it’s one of the more common city names in the US.

The exact location of the fictional city has been a source of speculation among fans.

‘We actually have a really good joke about that [in the movie],’ he said.

Published: 9 Mar 2007