In the February issue of Los Angeles magazine, RJ Smith examines Pajamas Media to ask whether it is a fledgling media phenomenon or a blip with $3.5 million in seed money, paid staff, polling by Nielsen and earnest promotion by blogger/founders Roger L. Simon and Charles Johnson. One obstacle, Smith writes, is that big national advertisers may not want to be connected with the "constitutionally protected hate speech" found in the reader comments at Johnson's Little Green Footballs and some other political sites.

In the blogosphere harvesting hits equal success. Buzz is good. But it's the extremists who get the most viewers, those on either end of the spectrum who say stuff that isn't often heard from the "respectable middle." Advertisers want hits, too, but they don't want to be associated with extremists.

Simon ducked out of commenting on LGF's effect on ad sales and Johnson wouldn't return Smith's calls. Neither would Aubrey Chernick, Pajamas Media's lead financier. Smith writes that Chernick's involvement with NC4, a company that advises the government on anti-terrorism preparations, and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee fuels talk that "the question isn't whether the administration will turn its media manipulation efforts to blogs. It's when." Mentioned in the piece are local bloggers Eugene Volokh, Mickey Kaus, Marc Cooper, Tammy Bruce, Cathy Seipp and Luke Ford. Friends-of-PJM journos Jill Stewart and Andrew Breitbart are there too.

The story isn't online (yet?), but the issue is out. It's the annual Movie Issue, with George Clooney on the cover.