Los Angeles, December 1, 2007 – It was a wild pre-birthday eve for Britney Spears on Saturday, with paparazzi in hot pursuit of the troubled pop star.  When Britney arrived at the Scandinavian Style Mansion opening gala, at a private estate in Bel Air, something like 100 paparazzi jumped out the bushes and began snapping her picture.  Britney’s four burly security guards walked her down the red carpet, shoving invited press photographers out of the way - two fell down.  Sharon Stone hosted the event, and Paris Hilton and heiress Casey Johnson were among the guests. 

Next, Britney headed to the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills, and the pushy paparazzi raced over, and gathered inside the hotel lobby to await her arrival.  Our sources say that hotel security ousted the paparazzi – by spraying them with pepper spray!

Britney turned 26 the following day, December 2.