Hugh Grant has been arrested by UK police after a photographer accused him of attacking him with a tub of baked beans.

Grant is a rock star in my book now. It’s certainly different from Avril Lavigne spitting on the photographers, or Justin and Cam stealing paparazzi cameras, isn’t it?

From CNN:

LONDON, England (Reuters) — Hugh Grant has been arrested and questioned by police after a photographer accused the British actor of attacking him with a tub of baked beans.

Photographer Ian Whittaker told the Daily Star tabloid that he and Grant, 46, clashed near the home of the “Four Weddings and a Funeral” star.

Whittaker said Grant abused and kicked him on Tuesday before lobbing the beans. The paper printed photos of Grant with a plastic tub of food raised over his head.

Grant’s lawyers Schillings said an incident had taken place and was now under investigation.

I love that his lawyers have to say that the incident is “under investigation.” What is there to investigate? Grant threw the tub at the guy because he hates the paparazzi, and probably was annoyed with with the man for following him. The incident was then reported to police. End of story. What are they going to do, go all CSI on the beans or something?

I sincerely hope that he doesn’t get into too much trouble for this. I have loved Hugh Grant forever, ever since he was in Four Weddings and a Funeral. It is a fact that bad Hugh Grant movies influenced my life. I moved to England in hopes of marrying a Hugh Grant (actually, the Hugh Grant, but unfortunately England was bigger than I thought). If it wasn’t for Hugh Grant, I would still be one of those 75% of all Americans who don’t own a passport. He can’t be arrested for being grumpy and acting out something that should have happened on a bad sitcom, it would just be so wrong.

Anyway, I feel everyone is failing to see a very lucrative opportunity arising from this whole mess. Heinz Baked Beans should give Grant a contract to star in commercials for this incident!

Picture the scene: Hugh on top of the photographer, beating his head in with a can of Heinz Baked Beans. He turns, looks at the camera, gives the camera his suave smile, and says the following in his best Oxford educated accent:

“Heinz Baked Beans. It’s not just for dinner anymore.”

Then Hugh invites the photographer in and they have a baked potato with Heinz Baked Beans on it and share a cup of tea, giving warm and loving smiles to the camera until it fades out to the obligatory product shot.

Damn, I’m such a genius. I’m going to copyright that right now!

Header image from TMZ

Update by Celebitchy: Here’s the sequence of events, which I don’t think is cool as Hugh kind of lost it for me a while ago. Hugh Grant was out running when a photographer asked him to smile for a photograph. He got pissed off and kicked the guy and kneed him in the groin. The tub of baked beans was a “takeaway” container that was conveniently at hand, most likely just laying there discarded by someone. Hugh grabbed the beans and lobbed them at the hapless paparazzo. The guy protested that he had two kids, and charming hooker-loving Grant hissed “I hope they die of f***ing cancer.” Then the photographer went and filed a complaint of assault against him.

Update two by Celebitchy: Grant was arrested by Kensington, UK police and released on bail. He will return in May for a further investigation of the incident. People’s interview with the paparazzo makes it seem less complicated. Grant had just returned home in his car, he wasn’t out jogging, when the photographer asked for a picture. There were two photographers there are the time. Grant said no and started chasing one of the guys. Somehow he got the tub of beans, which “was like Tupperware” and lobbed it at him. There was no mention of Grant kneeing or punching the guy, but the report I read and mentioned earlier was an interview with the other photographer who was supposedly assaulted by Grant, while this was the other witness. It’s hard to tell exactly what happened, but beans and anger were involved.

Ah, and here’s The Daily Mail’s account, which confirms the kicking incident, makes Grant seem like even more of a dick, and includes more pictures:

Mr Whittaker said he had turned up to take pictures of the actor’s former girlfriend Liz Hurley, who lives in the same street. When Grant, 46, arrived in his car he asked him to smile as he took his picture.

The film star allegedly snapped, swearing at Mr Whittaker, 43, and reportedly kicking him three or four times. Then, as Grant entered his house, he allegedly turned and threw a plastic container of baked beans at him.

The actor, who split from his girlfriend Jemima Khan in February, allegedly then said: “Do you know who I am? I’m a millionaire,” and screamed “Leave me alone.”

Mr Whittaker told a tabloid newspaper: “I said ‘Give us a smile please’ and he looked really angry.

“I walked backwards and he walked after me. He was effing and blinding at me. He kicked me hard three or four times then kneed me in the groin.

The actor was arrested in LA after being caught with a prostitute
“He asked if I had a girlfriend or kids and I said I had two. He said ‘I hope they die of f**king cancer’. I’m determined to see this through to the end because of what he said.”

Police were called to the incident and last night Kensington detectives returned to the actor’s home to arrest him and take him for questioning.

Grant had his fingerprints taken and provided a DNA sample. His other arrest was in Los Angeles 1995, when Grant was fined £1,000 for the Divine Brown incident.