​Never doubt man's ability to adapt -- especially if the adaptation allows him to see naked ladies. Dick Snow, owner of Bazooka's strip club in Kansas City, has finagled his way around Missouri's law that prohibits anyone from being fully nude in a strip club.(It seems so crazy when you see it in print, no? Where else would you go to find nude people?).

Bazooka's dancers are all in compliance with the law in person; dancers have their hoo-ha's and whatnots covered at all times. But while they're dancing so demurely, large video screens on either side of the stage show pre-recorded footage of the same dancer buck naked. According to Snow, the videos are legal. The Kansas City Police Department concurs, but some of the law's architects disagree -- particularly Philip Crosby, executive director of the American Family Association of Kansas and Missouri.
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Announcing our winner(s)!

​Our contest yesterday asking readers to tell us why they deserve free tickets for RFT's "Best of St. Louis" party on Thursday drew some great answers.More >>

Come party like it's the end of the world this Thursday.

​The rapture didn't happen as predicted (twice) this year. But that doesn't mean you can't party like -- as Michael Stipe might say -- "it's the end of the world as we know it..."

What's that you add? You say you "feel fine?" Well, try telling that to your aching head come Friday morning after Riverfront Times' 2011 "Best of St. Louis" party.

This year's extravaganza is Thursday at the City Museum, and we want you and your friends to come partake in the festivities to include performances from Pretty Little Empire, DJ Mahf, the Old Lights DJ Set and The Improv Trick. Oh, and lots of food and drink.

Tickets to the party to end all parties can be had for $15 dollars at the door ($10 if you bring a new/used book to donate to Goodwill).

Or win four free tickets now by telling us in 100 words or less why you and your friends are the best people to attend this year's "Best Of" soiree. Leave your answer in the comment section. We'll announce a winner tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. One caveat: You must be able to swing by the RFT offices in the Delmar Loop to claim your tickets before 5:30 p.m. this Thursday.

Photos: Chad Garrison

The view from Three Sixty last night was mighty nice.

​Those of you who follow me on Twitter know that my press credentials didn't get me the greatest of seats to Tuesday night's playoff game at Busch Stadium.

National media and legitimate sports reporters gobbled up the good seats in the press box (as they should), leaving this blogger to catch the game on TV in an adjoining break room and tweet about the beverage selections of my journalistic brethren.

I was all prepared to do it again Wednesday when, on my walk to the stadium, I felt the need for a beer and a bit more time enjoying last night's gorgeous weather. I ended up at Three Sixty atop the Hilton at the Ballpark, and all I gotta say is "wow!"

If you haven't caught a Cardinals game from this perch -- 26 stories up -- you're missing a helluva experience.
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No more "pantless" parties!?

​Well, you can't say that the place didn't get publicity. Though, in the end, perhaps it wasn't exactly the kind of PR the bar was shooting for.

Verlin's Bar and Grill is reportedly closed.

The watering hole, on the outskirts of The Grove neighborhood in south St. Louis, made headlines in August when Daily RFT first published a photo of the Lt. Governor Peter Kinder hanging out in the establishment with bartender Tammy Chapman. A little more digging found that Verlin's bartenders are known for their scantily-clad outfits and "Pantless Parties." A little more RFT digging unearthed the bombshell: That Kinder and Chapman have a history, with Kinder obsessed with Chapman (a former Penthouse centerfold) in the 1990s when she worked as an exotic dancer in Sauget.
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​A new bar near the Saint Louis University campus featuring such classy promotions as "Free 'Till You Pee" is being investigated by the city's liquor control board amid concerns about its ownership. The bar, CHEA+TER'S Sports Grill & Ultrapub, opened this summer in the space that previously housed the Laclede Street Bar & Grill.

On paper, the bar's liquor license -- which allows alcohol sales until 3 a.m. -- is all in order. But the city's excise commissioner, Robert Kraiberg, confirms that his office is looking into whether the new bar actually has the same old owner, as it claims. If the ownership has actually changed, though, they'd have to get a new license -- allowing the neighbors, including the university, to weigh in.

"What it says on paper and what it says in reality can be two different things," says Kraiberg. "Who's paying the bills? Is it Mother Teresa or is it Tony Soprano?"
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Goodman: The voice of 2011 Soulard Oktoberfest.

​You may have already heard them on KTRS, KMOX, The Point, and multiple Clear Channel stations around town. They're ads with the voice of actor -- and native St. Louisan -- John Goodman pitching for Soulard Oktoberfest.

"Guten tag!" greets Goodman in three different radio spots promoting this year's Oktoberfest, running October 7-9 in Lyon's Park. The Golden-Globe-winning actor goes on to promise in the radio spots that this year's Oktoberfest will include "killer" bands, beautiful fräuleins and "mucho beer." 

John McKinstry, founder of Soulard Oktoberfest, says he'll forgive Goodman for slipping a bit of Spanglish into his pitch for a German festival. "We gave him the information and he did the John Goodman treatment on it," says McKinstry. "It's great."

McKinstry says the actor (who will be appearing in NBC's Community this fall) got involved in the Oktoberfest spots when KTRS (550 AM) approached them about running radio ads this year.
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Just because you drove, and are drunk, doesn't mean you're a drunk driver, the appellate court says.

​Here's a little test of deductive reasoning: Say you're a cop, and you're dispatched to an accident scene near a house. Once you arrive, you spot a car with a damaged front end, rut marks in a ditch near the car and a damaged fence. There's a man standing near the car, who slurringly admits that he lost control of the car on a turn. He also admits he's drunk.

So, can you assume the guy is guilty of driving while intoxicated?

Logic might say yes; the Missouri appeals court says no.

In its ruling on State of Missouri v. Billy Jack Hatfield, which originated in Cass County, the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District agreed today that there's enough evidence to establish two critical facts: that Hatfield drove the car, and that he was drunk at the time of his arrest. But there was not, the court ruled, enough evidence for a third, critical point: that Hatfield actually drove the car while he was drunk. And that's enough to reverse his conviction.

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Yesterday atop Paddy O's new rooftop bar.

​We bloggers don't get a chance to leave our parents' basement very often. So forgive me if this is old news to those of you living above ground. But I just gotta say: The new rooftop deck at Paddy O's is pretty cool.

And it's even better while playing hooky from work on a gorgeous afternoon following a Cardinals victory  -- as was the case for me yesterday. Following are a few shots I took of the scene yesterday at Paddy O's.

P.S. In related news, from my seats at Busch Stadium yesterday I could see that construction is moving along on what could be an even cooler rooftop bar than the one at Paddy O's. I'm talking about the one slated to open on the 20th floor of the nearby Hilton.
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​If your Friday routine doesn't have you checking out our weekly listing of Weekend Best Bets over at our music blog, A to Z, for shame! You're missing out on some great entertainment suggestions.

This weekend, it's is all about Record Store Day with radio personalities and DJs spinning their favorite tunes at St. Louis' independent music stores. See ya there, perhaps? If not, enjoy the weekend.

We. Are. Out. Of. Here.