Waldorf, The Ghetto?

Hillary Duff may be a reigning pop princess, but she may not be so popular with folks in Charles County, Maryland.

She's dating singer Joel Madden of the rock group Good Charlotte. Madden is from Waldorf and Hillary Duff recently said some not so good things about her boyfriend's hometown.

At the La Plata High School pool, the Hollywood buzz hit home. Actress Hillary Duff was quoted in the July issue of Elle magazine -- when talking about her boyfriend Joel Madden's hometown she said, quote: "he's very real, like, he's from a pretty ghetto place in Maryland... I like that."

That "pretty ghetto place" would actually be Waldorf, more specifically the Wakefield neighborhood of single family and town homes.

Resident Nichole Baker says it?s not really ghetto. ?It?s more like the hood.?

Joel Madden and his twin brother, Benji, of the rock group ?Good Charlotte? graduated in 1997 from La Plata High School where academic awards adorn the main hallway. Principal Don Cooke was here when the twin pop rock stars were budding musicians.

?They were normal average high school students, clearly they had a love for music,? he said.

But now Waldorf may not have a love for Joel Madden's girlfriend.

?It puts a bad light on the area, typical middle class, no gang wars, not that many robberies,? resident Mitch Meszaros said.

?It's far from being a ghetto. People are moving into this area because of the schools, because of the businesses that are here,? Principal Cooke said.

?I doubt she?s ever been here to see what it's like,? Molly Vaira said.

These days when pop stars speak, many people listen. Residents here just wish the stars knew what they were talking about.

So where is Hillary Duff from, you may ask? She was born in Houston, Texas. Her father owns a chain of convenience stores, her mother is a homemaker.