By Mike Trask (contact)

Sat, Mar 1, 2008 (2 a.m.)

LAX is supposedly one of the hottest clubs in the coolest city. That’s what the hip club kids say. Tough to get in, helps if you grease a few palms along the way.

So how is it that the doorman let in an average-looking, less than rich, not so sharply dressed reporter for free Thursday?

Sun editors had sent the reporter clubbing Thursday night — well, Friday morning — to check out the scene and see how the uberpopular spots owned by Pure Management are faring in the wake of the much-discussed IRS raids at the company’s headquarters and two of the clubs it runs: LAX and Pure.

Get a look at the never-ending lines, the editors said. Ask clubgoers if they were accustomed to giving the rumored huge under-the-table payments to get inside.

But Pure, inside Caesars Palace, was closed for a private function. Next door, the Pussycat Dolls Lounge, also under Pure Management, had no cover charge. You could walk right in. Over at the Luxor, where LAX has hosted celebrities and high rollers since opening in September, a few groups of dudes milled about the entrance.

So the reporter walked up to the doorman and asked, “How do I get in?”

“It’s a $20 cover,” he said.

The reporter pulled out a Nevada driver’s license.

“Oh, you’re a local,” he said happily. “I’ll help you out.”

He stamped a triangle-shaped mark on one hand, which magically granted free access to this kingdom of coolness.

No lines, no cover, no open palm.

On Friday, a few calls to people involved in the club scene revealed that it is odd to be granted a free pass without being on any list, or dropping any names, or casually sliding a Ben Franklin to someone in charge.

Perhaps LAX and Pure will be busier this weekend, as each features a night hosted by pseudostars Brody Jenner and Frankie Delgado, who play themselves on MTV’s “The Hills.”

Seems unlikely anybody will avoid the hot spots because of the tax man’s allegations. (The people I talked to inside LAX had no idea the IRS was investigating Pure Management.)

So what are we left with?

Two conclusions:

First, it felt quite awesome walking into LAX with a fancy triangle stamp. That’s the feeling they are selling: being a cool kid able to hang out with the

in crowd.

Second, clubbers, take note. A little bad publicity can be a good thing. This may be the best weekend in history to get inside your favorite place.