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When Google Maps Searches Go Bad

High-end US celebrity weekly In Touch ran a feature this week showing where various celebs live in the tony Brentwood section of LA. They even have a handy map. Only problem? The map is of a different Brentwood, more than 500kms away.

So yeah, those little arrows showing you exactly where Tom and Giselle and Reese and Arnie keep their mansions? Completely made-up. Some genius staffer at the magazine just typed “Brentwood, CA” into Google Maps and ran with it. So, they got this Brentwood, CA, a sleepy subdivision homestead town outside of Oakland. Maybe a ton of celebrities live there? Like that Idaho trend a few years back maybe? Somehow, we doubt it.

Nice work everyone.

Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)

  • ChanRasit

    Viva la fact checker!

  • HandsomeBwonderful

    So that chick with the hot ass filling up her '84 Celica at Chevron wasn't Jessica Biel? I coulda swore...

    HandsomeBwonderful

  • shle896

    Obviously nobody at the magazine thought to even look at the map in "Satellite" mode. If they had, they'd see homes more in line with "Knots Landing" than the "Dynasty" kind of homes one might associate with true A-list stars such as Reese Witherapoon and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

    Dumb asses!

  • allisonlynn0122

    I laughed out loud in real life.

  • Kid Twist

    If anyone is interested, I'm selling a map showing where the wealthy and famous summer in Hampton, Va.

  • Conch

    @iplaudius: my hitched friends down there tell me its a blasty blast.

  • m4ximusprim3

    Yeah, Brentwood is nice. But don't stray west, nigga. Antioch is a war zone!

    m4ximusprim3

  • barb95

    Brentwood is not in Oakland, it is actually about 1 hour away from Oakland. I have a friend who lives out there and commutes to SF everyday. Commute time is 1.5 hours each way!

    barb95

  • abettertomorrow

    hahahahah nice
    I always assume they let the Beverly Hills Star Maps guys stay in business because their maps are completely inaccurate.
    This is better though!

  • iplaudius

    You think that’s hot, you need to check out the night-life in Walnut Creek. OFF THE HEEZY.

  • Conch

    Aside from Berkeley, the east bay will never be part of such a trend.

  • DeltaGuy

    @Richard Lawson: It's not the BloodCopy blog, its a separate advertising campaign attempting to find the "most truthful" blind item.

    DeltaGuy

  • succulent

    I know Oakland
    That is not Oakland

    succulent

  • MissCast

    @iplaudius: Yes, the hills are alive with the sound of lonely coyotes.

    MissCast

  • squidbait

    @squidbait: Ahnold's house has a waterslide theme park in it!!!!

    [maps.google.com]

    squidbait

  • squidbait

    @mslewis: I know! If they were lying and just pointing arrows at random streets.. What else are they lying about??? Surely not Bradlagina or all those baby bumps!

    BRB I want to see what Ahnold's house looks like on google maps....

    squidbait

  • Rumpelstilskin

    I know next to zilch about the west coast despite four visits there (all business), so I am the best mark for a map, except...I want totally GAY landmarks, you know, Judy's house, where Stewart Grainger got killed by a hustler, Rock Hudson's house, Bette Davis...surely there is a tour for me.

    Rumpelstilskin

  • itmustbeken

    @iplaudius: OOooohhh yeeeeahhh..head down to 1515, suck down some $9 mojitos by the patio fireplace and take 'yo pick of da cougars. South Main Street is where its at bitches!!!!

  • iantenna

    @Conch: hey. delroy lindo lives in oakland. that counts for something. also, billie joe, and, um, yeah i'm out.

  • TedSez

    This isn't much worse than the actual star maps they sell in Hollywood, which direct you to places like Lucille Ball's house, a condo some desperate Realtor claims Brad Pitt used to rent, and the fence in front of the gate in front of the road leading to Tori Spelling's mom's house.

  • Richard Lawson

    @Gwenishka: They are?

  • DorothyBarker

    Wow. I gotta say, someone in the world of journalism is clearly laying off the wrong people. They don't employ staffers who live or have an even moderate knowledge of the environs they supposedly cover? No one thought, "hmmm, i've never heard my l.a. friends talk about driving on 'the 4'". oy.

  • Gwenishka

    Richard, are you sad that the BloodBlog Ad thing is name-checking you now?

    Gwenishka

  • mslewis

    So, I'm a little curious . . . How can there be arrows to the stars' homes in this Brentwood if the actual stars live in that other Brentwood? Could someone be like, you know, lying or something?

    mslewis

  • Lucky

    The East Bay, well known Home to the Stars!

    And Brentwood is not that close to Oakland! It's a bitch of a commute most days.

    Lucky

  • Lucky

    @m4ximusprim3: I grew up in Antioch - you're about right.

    Lucky

  • VoxPopuli

    @Kid Twist: Don't forget about Hollywood, Florida, full of glamour and dreams.

  • bboston88 (star please?)

    @iplaudius: Yo, Danville is off the hook too and don't get me started about Alamo.

  • diamonddnice

    BRENTWOOD IS NOT NEAR OAKLAND!

    It's like an hour and twenty away driving like 80. Seriously learn some geography. Piedmont, Montclair. That's near Oakland. Article needs some research. For the record though. There are actually several minor celebs and atheletes that live in the Northern Cal Brentwood because it's cheap as shit, a long way away from Oakland, and new construction. But this isn't near oakland. Sort it out.

    diamonddnice

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