He's popular because he's an ambiguous figure that triggers so many of the conventional narrative patterns that the mass media love to sell (because they work on the target audience as wish-fulfillment): he's a risk-taker, rags to riches (to rags?), robin hood type figure, everyman gone good/bad, how the mighty have fallen, sleaze-sex-money, fast cars and model girl-friends, boy next door, david vs goliath taking on the might of the US copyright industry, dawn raids by shady corrupt government procedures, extreme -- not only in girth, persecuted for helping the common man etc etc.

Journalists' dream come true. They/we can project upon him and his actions whatever fits their/our agenda.

There will eventually be a movie about him.