Pirate Radio

Carey Curelop will resign as program director of KQLZ-FM "Pirate Radio" next week, having been unable to boost the rock station's ratings. "I was frustrated with my inability to move the station ratings-wise in the area I thought it should be, and it's no fun to work frustrated, so I asked for release from my contract," Curelop said in a telephone interview. "Sometimes you throw your hands up and say, 'I give!' " He said that KQLZ (100.

It's become something of a holiday tradition — every couple of years, Syfy turns out a star-studded prequel to a beloved children's story — "Tin Man" in 2007, "Alice " in 2009. This time, it's J.M. Barrie's "Peter Pan" that goes through the mirror darkly in "Neverland," a cleverly conceived, at times visually lovely, but criminally long imagining of how Peter became Pan. It's difficult to imagine a more oft-told tale than "Peter Pan," which, in recent memory has been made into two live action films ("Hook," "Peter Pan")

Federal agents today boarded a floating pirate radio station anchored off Long Island, N.Y., seized the vessel and arrested three people on board after the station broadcast for four days over the objections of the Federal Communications Commission. The Coast Guard cutter Cape Horn carried at least one FCC agent out to the rusty freighter anchored off suburban Long Beach, where it was boarded without incident.

The Great Mouse Detective Walt Disney Blu-ray, $19.99 Some people trace the revival of Walt Disney animation to 1989's "The Little Mermaid," but one of the main reasons that "Mermaid" got the go-ahead was because of the success of 1986's "The Great Mouse Detective." Under the supervision of Ron Clements and John Musker (who later helmed "Mermaid," "Aladdin" and the recent "The Princess and the Frog"), "The Great Mouse Detective" tells a Sherlock Holmes story more rooted in tradition than the recent Robert Downey Jr. vehicle -- even though all the main characters are rodents.

Abie Nathan, the Israeli peace activist who made a dramatic solo flight to Egypt and later founded the groundbreaking "Voice of Peace" radio station, died Wednesday. He was 81. Nathan died at Tel Aviv's Ichilov hospital, the hospital said in a prepared statement. The cause of death was not reported. He burst onto the world of Middle East diplomacy in 1966 with his solo flight in a rattletrap plane more than a decade before Israel and Egypt signed a peace treaty. Although he failed in his initial bid to talk peace with the Egyptians, his daredevil escapade won the affection of many Israelis and launched a long and often eccentric one-man crusade to end the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Britain's first and oldest pirate radio station, Radio Caroline, has started broadcasting again from a ship in the North Sea after being silenced by Dutch and British authorities, French radio amateurs said Friday. The France Radio Club said in a statement that the pirate radio station was broadcasting from its ship, the Ross Revenge, which was boarded by police in August after complaints that the radio's programs were jamming an emergency radio frequency.

Pirate Radio, which swashbuckled onto the Southern California scene nearly two years ago amid much hoopla, high expectations and a $54-million price tag, sinks today. KQLZ-FM(100.3) was scheduled to switch formats at 6 this morning. The reason for the change was attributed to steadily plunging ratings. "We had a great debut and a lot of people were interested, and then a lot of people tuned out," said Norm Pattiz, chairman and chief executive officer of Westwood One Inc.

The Great Mouse Detective Walt Disney Blu-ray, $19.99 Some people trace the revival of Walt Disney animation to 1989's "The Little Mermaid," but one of the main reasons that "Mermaid" got the go-ahead was because of the success of 1986's "The Great Mouse Detective." Under the supervision of Ron Clements and John Musker (who later helmed "Mermaid," "Aladdin" and the recent "The Princess and the Frog"), "The Great Mouse Detective" tells a Sherlock Holmes story more rooted in tradition than the recent Robert Downey Jr. vehicle -- even though all the main characters are rodents.

Over the last few years, many political protesters have felt increasingly squeezed by law enforcement authorities, who frequently seek to restrict them to predetermined "free speech zones" and sometimes threaten them with tear gas, rubber bullets or arrest if they stray. Such tactics can lead to innovation, however, and the technologically savvy have found it in the combined use of cellphones, the Internet and low-power radio.

Bill Nighy's journey to mid-'60s England began in, of all places, mid-'60s England. As a teen, he left home for Paris to write, came back unwritten, then became an actor, later to play a key (imaginary) figure in the very music that transformed him as a youth. But let's start with Bill the Mod. "Mods loved black American music: Stax, Atlantic and Tamla Motown," says the actor in a quiet, cultured voice at a table at L'Ermitage. "You had a half-inch all-over haircut. You wore Ravel loafers and trousers of the cigarette type but slightly too short, and I regret to say this, and I'm embarrassed and ashamed, but with . . . colored socks."

"Pirate Radio," the movie, isn't really about pirate radio. It may take place on a boat in England's North Sea in the late '60s, but anyone who goes to see the film hoping to learn about the realities of illegally broadcasting music to millions of idolizing fans from the cold and rocking waters of a ship are likely to be disappointed by everything but the soundtrack. "Pirate Radio" is a comedic coming-of-age story. The station in which that happens is merely a backdrop. Pirate radio, as a concept, has long been a subject of interest among music lovers and subversives who see it as a romantic expression of political rebellion played out in musical form.

"Pirate Radio," the new rock-saturated comedy that proves life really is better when it's set to a '60s soundtrack, is, to borrow from the Stones, "a gas! gas! gas!" And borrow does it ever -- from the Kinks, the Rolling Stones, Hendrix, the Who, the Troggs, the Turtles, the Beach Boys, the Yardbirds, the Seekers, the List, um, make that, the list goes on . . . nearly 60 cuts in all in what may be the coolest music-video masquerading as a movie ever. Don't even bother resisting the urge to join in -- but quietly, please.

Bill Nighy's journey to mid-'60s England began in, of all places, mid-'60s England. As a teen, he left home for Paris to write, came back unwritten, then became an actor, later to play a key (imaginary) figure in the very music that transformed him as a youth. But let's start with Bill the Mod. "Mods loved black American music: Stax, Atlantic and Tamla Motown," says the actor in a quiet, cultured voice at a table at L'Ermitage. "You had a half-inch all-over haircut. You wore Ravel loafers and trousers of the cigarette type but slightly too short, and I regret to say this, and I'm embarrassed and ashamed, but with . . . colored socks."

Of course, we should talk about: "Mad Men" Wait, it's coming to an end already? Curse cable and its short 13-episode seasons. Don's big secret is out, Hilton's demands are getting steeper while the Brits might be cutting Sterling Cooper loose, Peggy and Duck have issues to sort out and Joan's hubby looks to be shipping off to Vietnam. My bet is the third-season finale resolves only some of these things -- which is exactly how we all like it. (Today) Resume talking about: "Up" Only Pixar could make an animated movie, out on DVD this week, about a geriatric widower and his quest to move the house he shared with his late wife across the world both heartbreaking and hilarious.

Abie Nathan, the Israeli peace activist who made a dramatic solo flight to Egypt and later founded the groundbreaking "Voice of Peace" radio station, died Wednesday. He was 81. Nathan died at Tel Aviv's Ichilov hospital, the hospital said in a prepared statement. The cause of death was not reported. He burst onto the world of Middle East diplomacy in 1966 with his solo flight in a rattletrap plane more than a decade before Israel and Egypt signed a peace treaty. Although he failed in his initial bid to talk peace with the Egyptians, his daredevil escapade won the affection of many Israelis and launched a long and often eccentric one-man crusade to end the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Airline pilots departing from Miami International Airport are getting an earful of something unexpected: hip-hop tunes from a pirate radio station that sometimes interfere with their communications with the control tower. The music comes on a pair of frequencies from a station that calls itself Da Streetz. "It's intermittent. Not all day, every day," said Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen.

"Pirate Radio," the new rock-saturated comedy that proves life really is better when it's set to a '60s soundtrack, is, to borrow from the Stones, "a gas! gas! gas!" And borrow does it ever -- from the Kinks, the Rolling Stones, Hendrix, the Who, the Troggs, the Turtles, the Beach Boys, the Yardbirds, the Seekers, the List, um, make that, the list goes on . . . nearly 60 cuts in all in what may be the coolest music-video masquerading as a movie ever. Don't even bother resisting the urge to join in -- but quietly, please.

It's become something of a holiday tradition — every couple of years, Syfy turns out a star-studded prequel to a beloved children's story — "Tin Man" in 2007, "Alice " in 2009. This time, it's J.M. Barrie's "Peter Pan" that goes through the mirror darkly in "Neverland," a cleverly conceived, at times visually lovely, but criminally long imagining of how Peter became Pan. It's difficult to imagine a more oft-told tale than "Peter Pan," which, in recent memory has been made into two live action films ("Hook," "Peter Pan")

First came pirate radio, then Internet radio. But in the last month, a new way of circumventing the big, bad broadcast corporations has emerged: podcasts.

Skidmark Bob leaned back in his chair behind the makeshift radio studio desk as he assessed the impact of last week's raid on pirate station Free Radio Santa Cruz by U.S. marshals and the Federal Communications Commission. Agents yanked the antenna from the roof and carted off all of the broadcast equipment Wednesday, effectively knocking the station off the air. They departed with a warning that operators of the station faced possible fines of up to $10,000.