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The Rams were Super Bowl favorites. Now they're fighting a 30-year curse
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Oct 23 • 2:08 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Strategic Entertainment Announces Chase The King, A Chess Variant Where Players Start 1v1 And Earn Pieces By

100 Kings To Defeat, One Cursed Chess Board To Take The Crown. Coming To Steam and other PC Stores in November. Demo Now Available.

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Oct 22 • 4:58 PM EDT • Entertainment • einpresswire.com
Kennedy family tragedies that fueled rumors of a 'Kennedy curse'

The Kennedys' history has been marred by tragedies, including untimely deaths, two assassinations, and four plane crashes.

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Oct 21 • 12:35 PM EDT • Business • businessinsider.com
Toy Story 5, Backrooms and The Breadwinner Vie to Become the Second Biggest Film This Year...

(Welcome to my weekly streaming ratings report, the single best guide to what’s popular in streaming TV and what isn’t. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. If you were forwarded this email, please subscribe to get these insights each week.) Often, people blame “data” for ruining Hollywood, when I’d argue that hype (which can often be debunked by data) is often worse, as you can see in these two headlines. To use a common meme, here’s how it started: and how it’s going: Earlier this year, I read countless (and I mean countless) articles (in almost every mainstream media outlet) about how Heated Rivalry was a huge hit and that it “heated” interest in hockey. But Heated Rivalry wasn’t a huge viewership hit compared to the hype: [ ](https://entertainment.substack.com/p/you-cant-eat-buzzdid-heated-rivalrys) [ You Can’t Eat Buzz…Did Heated Rivalry’s Buzz Translate into Actual Viewership? ](https://entertainment.substack.com/p/you-cant-eat-buzzdid-heated-rivalrys) Entertainment Strategy Guy · Jan 22 [ Read full story ](https://entertainment.substack.com/p/you-cant-eat-buzzdid-heated-rivalrys) In this case, the hype (Heated Rivalry is really popular) belied the data (It didn’t make the top ten charts, meaning it wasn’t a huge hit.1) Even worse, every time I write about this, I get a lot of negative feedback, hence why I only sparingly mention the show these days or add lots of caveats when I write about it, but this just further cements the hype. But companies, and the executives leading them, have to determine strategy based on reality, not media coverage. The NHL committed real marketing dollars to a campaign that didn’t work. Sure enough, the latest NHL season opened to under a million viewers. At some point, you have to focus on what the data says, because real dollars are at stake. And that’s why we have the Streaming Ratings Report! To provide and analyze cold, hard data. Luckily, this week, I can be positive and take a look at a huge opening on streaming, along with a very buzzy horror film that customers kind of like, but don’t really love. And a comedy that tried to rebound on streaming. Today, I’m covering two weeks—21-Sep and 28-Sep—so we have a lot to discuss (nearly 5,000 words worth), including a series of film misses for Netflix, another argument for weekly-released TV shows on streaming, another sitcom tries to avoid the comedy curse, Netflix has two new game shows (one powered by AI), Reacher falling off the charts after a huge run, Prime Video tries its hands at the romcom game**,** a look at the WNBA’s big season, a big night for the VMAs on CBS and MTV, all the flops, bombs and misses, and a whole lot more. (Reminder: The streaming ratings report focuses on the U.S. market and compiles data from Nielsen’s weekly top ten viewership ranks, Luminate’s Top Ten Data, JustWatch and Reelgood interest data, Samba TV household viewership, company datecdotes, Netflix hours viewed data, Google Trends, and IMDb to determine the most popular content. While most data points are current, Nielsen’s data covers the weeks of September 14th to October 4th, 2026. You can find a link to my terminology here.) Subscribe Film - Two Hits and a Miss Come to Streaming… Three very interesting films came to streaming in one week, and I like comparing them since they show the range of theatrical films. One was a huge blockbuster, one was popular, and one was neither. One is a horror film, a buzzy genre; one is a comedy, a struggling genre; and one is an animated family film, the king of the box office. One went to a tiny streamer (HBO Max), one went to a second-tier streamer (Disney+), and one went to the biggest (Netflix). So… If you just went by box office, you’d expect Backrooms—the $197 million grosser, and partner of Obsession for “YouTube Horror Summer”—to dominate on streaming. If you read this report, though, you know that horror films don’t do great on streaming, and that’s the case again. Backrooms opened at 3.8 million hours according to Nielsen, and had 3.9 million hours in its second week. Here’s how that stacks up to other HBO Max films: We’re just getting started with this issue, but the rest is for paid subscribers of the Entertainment Strategy Guy, so if you’d like to find out… ...why I don’t buy Backrooms budget… …two new games shows arrive on streaming… …another sitcom struggles… ...another argument for putting out shows weekly on Netflix... ...and a whole lot more, nearly 5,000 words more... ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support. If you want an idea of just how much content you’d get in a full issue, check out this older issue. Coming Soon! Next week, I’ll be taking a look at the eighth season of Hulu’s The Kardashians, answering the question: will this show ever make the charts? If Mormon wives can make it, surely one of social media’s most popular families can as well. Also, Prime Video has a new horror show based on popular IP, Carrie, Netflix has a horror show starring Josh Hartnett, Below, and Apple TV has a UK import, Small Prophets. Plus a bunch of movies like Disclosure Day heading to Peacock, The Housemaid coming to HBO Max, Ben Affleck’s latest on Apple TV, Animals, and Matchbox the Movie on Apple TV, a John Cena action comedy inspired by Hasbro’s toy cars. The week after is even busier! I’ll look at another IP-based horror show, Crystal Lake, a new MCU show on Disney+, VisionQuest, season two of The Lowdown on FX/Hulu, the fourth seasons of The Diplomat on Netflix and Tulsa King on Paramount+, another season of Love is Blind, and four straight-to-streaming films: Netflix’s Sacrifice (starring Chris Evens, Anya-Taylor-Joy, Vincent Cassel, John Malkovich, Salma Hayek. Charlie XCX), Apple TV’s Tenzing (starring Tom Hiddleston and Willem Defoe), Prime Video’s Love of Your Life (Margaret Qualley) and Masterplan (Stanley Tucci) and a whole lot more, somehow. Long term, here’s some huge IP news: a Game of Thrones movie is coming to theaters, Game of Thrones: Aegon’s Conquest in 2029, while Jon Watts (who helmed three of the most recent Spider-Man movies) is directing the next Star Wars trilogy, to be written by Simon Kinberg. I’m cautiously optimistic for both. It feels obvious to say that making good movies matters, but for bets this big (Star Wars is on a swoon, Game of Thrones hasn’t been to theaters yet), the quality has to be there.

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Oct 20 • 6:30 PM EDT • Entertainment • entertainment.substack.com
Deep dive
😐 Neutral (19%)
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100%
Review: Castlevania: Belmont's Curse (Switch) - A Pro-Grade Metroidvania With A Stiff Learning Curve

This time it's war

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Oct 20 • 5:00 AM EDT • Technology • nintendolife.com
Americans who go to church and trust science are also more likely to believe in ghosts and curses, new research shows

New research suggests many Americans who no longer affiliate with an organized religion may still believe in the supernatural in the form of things like tarot, astrology or psychic services.

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Oct 19 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • sltrib.com
Castlevania Belmont's Curse: Catacombs of Paris walkthrough (Part 3)

Rose descends into the dark Catacombs of Paris and faces Death in Part 3 of our Castlevania: Belmont's Curse walkthrough.

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Oct 18 • 1:20 PM EDT • Technology • rockpapershotgun.com
How AI is reshaping microdramas as video format takes a ‘generational jump’

Microdrama industry insiders share effects of recent AI advances, from aiding editing to replacing actors. Is it a useful tool or a curse?

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Oct 18 • 12:45 AM EDT • Entertainment • scmp.com
‘There Should be a Game Award for Hot Dads’ — Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse Devs Are Fully Aware and Loving the ‘Horny’ Fanart for Their Game

The developers behind Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse are enthusiastic about the “horny” fanart they’ve seen of the game’s characters, saying they specifically made them "hot" to appeal to fans.

ign.com logo
Oct 16 • 5:03 PM EDT • Technology • ign.com
Castlevania's Most Iconic Song Should Chain Whip Me To Death, Not Put Me In A Thousand Year Sleep

The Belmont's Curse version of "Bloody Tars" is more restrained than it should be

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Oct 16 • 3:30 PM EDT • Technology • kotaku.com
Americans who go to church and trust science are also more likely to believe in ghosts and curses, research shows

Americans who trust science and reason more than their churches' teachings, but still believe in God or attend services, are also more likely to believe in magic than those who prioritize religious teachings.

phys.org logo
Oct 15 • 1:40 PM EDT • Science • phys.org
Americans who go to church and trust science are also more likely to believe in ghosts and curses, new research shows

Belief in science and belief in magic can coexist.

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Oct 15 • 8:15 AM EDT • Science • theconversation.com
Site News: So, Where's Our Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Review?

What is a review?

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Oct 14 • 10:30 AM EDT • Technology • nintendolife.com
Carrie Ann Inaba curses live on“ Dancing With the Stars ”while praising underdog’s salsa

The judge couldn’t hold in her enthusiasm for this athlete’s agile salsa to “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars.

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Oct 13 • 9:17 PM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Round Up: The Reviews For Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Are In

Here's what the critics think

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Oct 13 • 7:55 PM EDT • Technology • nintendolife.com
Dave Portnoy boldly claims ‘curse’ of LeBron James is already ruining Philadelphia sports

Dave Portnoy believes LeBron James’ presence on the Philadelphia 76ers is having an impact on the city’s robust sports culture. James joined the 76ers this summer, signing a 1+1 deal worth $8 million, the league minimum for veteran players, to try and compete for an NBA championship.

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Oct 13 • 6:10 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Review: Worthy of the Whip

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse (Xbox Series X/S) Review – 9.25/10: Castlevania is back, and between Rose Belmont and Evil Empire, it's in great hands. - Game Informer

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Oct 12 • 10:01 PM EDT • Technology • gameinformer.com
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Asks for No Less Than 100% Completion for the Platinum Trophy

Rose to the challenge

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Oct 12 • 1:00 PM EDT • Technology • pushsquare.com
Next Week on XBOX: New Games for October 12 to 16

Next Week on XBOX: Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, Planet Zoo 2, Valor Mortis, Warhammer 40K: Boltgun II, and more coming soon!

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Oct 9 • 10:01 AM EDT • Technology • news.xbox.com
Inside the Acrisure Stadium curse tormenting the Colts

The Indianapolis Colts head to Pittsburgh seeking to break an 18-year road winless streak against Mike Tomlin and the Steelers at Acrisure Stadium.

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Oct 8 • 8:26 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
😐 Neutral (0%)
The First Review For Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Is In

What did the critics think?

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Oct 7 • 7:25 PM EDT • Technology • nintendolife.com
Konami Announces The Composer For Castlevania: Belmont's Curse

"A new composition of Bloody Tears fills the night air"

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Oct 6 • 10:15 PM EDT • Technology • nintendolife.com
Red Wings Fan Hires Witch to Lift ‘Curse’ on Detroit

A frustrated Red Wings fan hired a witch on Etsy to lift what he jokingly believes is a curse on Detroit following an 0-2 start.

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Oct 6 • 8:58 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Konami teases that Belmont's Curse won't be the end for Castlevania

Konami has been a bit quiet with Castlevania until recently, but the publisher has teased more to come for the franchise in the future. Castlevania stepped back into the spotlight with the special DLC made for Dead Cells back in 2023. Now in just a few days, we’ll be getting Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse – the series’ first new, major release...

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Oct 3 • 3:15 AM EDT • Technology • nintendoeverything.com
Phantom Blade Zero, Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, Final Fantasy Resonance, and 5 More Big October Games We've Already Played and Can Tell You About

October is here, which means the Fall is in full swing, which means some of the biggest games of the year drop this month. We've already played some of the biggest ones, so check out our previews of Phantom Blade Zero, Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, Final Fantasy Resonance, and more below.

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Oct 2 • 10:03 AM EDT • Technology • ign.com
AI-generated Fallout: New York browser game full of utterly cursed faces slapped with Bethesda cease and desist, its slop prompter claims

Bethesda have seemingly slapped an AI-generated Fallout: New York browser game with cease and desist order.

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Oct 2 • 7:45 AM EDT • Technology • rockpapershotgun.com
PSA: Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Free Demo Is Now Live, With A Frame Rate Boost On Switch 2

Don't let the Bel(mont)s end

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Oct 1 • 5:45 AM EDT • Technology • nintendolife.com
Looking at the Ugly Side of the Paramount-Skydance Merger...And How I’d Fix It

A Message from Our Sponsor Certified Fresh with 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, FX’s Adults is an ensemble comedy series about a group of twenty-somethings in New York leaning on each other to navigate love, work, friendship and family. Don’t sleep on “The Sitcom of the Moment” - Awards Buzz All Episodes now streaming on Hulu on Disney+. Watch The Teaser Trailer... (Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industr(Welcome to the “Most Important Story of the Week”, my bi-weekly strategy column analyzing the most important (but often not buzziest) news story of the last two weeks. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. Please subscribe.) Before we dive in, I wanted to congratulate Broadcast Now for being the first to report that Netflix’s How to Get to Heaven from Belfast has been cancelled. (I saw this in a write-up by Kasey Moore of Whats-On-Netflix.) More importantly, I wanted to note that, as of yesterday, none of the other trades had reported the news yet. I have half a guess that eventually one of them will report this. Anyways, it’s time to take a break from my deluge of streaming ratings reports to continue my analysis of the Paramount Skydance Warner Bros. Discovery (PSWbD) saga. As I noted last week, a lot of times when folks use the (sometimes cliched) “the good, the bad and the ugly” framing for an article, “the ugly” section is just more bad. Or very, very bad. In this case, yeah, I do think it’s ugly. In more than one way. Unfortunately, we’re only going to have time to tackle one of those ways today: the ugly pile of debt to finance this deal. (In a future article, I may cover the entire process for how it went down, which was very, very ugly.) Last issue, I explained why I liked this deal in a vacuum. Unfortunately, “vacuums” don’t exist outside of space. Let’s dive in. Subscribe Most Important Story of the Week - The Ugliness of the Paramount/Warner Bros. Merger More than one person sent me a note speculating that the big problem with Paramount Skydance buying Warner Bros. Discovery is the “Warner Bros.” portion of the deal. In fact, that’s a take I read a lot about Warner Bros., ever since they caught Netflix’s, and then Paramount-Skydance’s, eye. In short, multiple companies (Time, AOL, AT&T, Discovery) have bought and then regretted buying Warner Bros. Since it’s nearing Halloween, you could almost say it’s like the folks think WB is cursed! It’s a haunted studio—like the town of Derry in movie studio form—and whoever takes possession of it will fall into misery! Yet...I just don’t like that story, because it doesn’t explain the “why” behind why those deals fell through. Especially when Warner Bros. has continued to succeed as a TV and film studio in the intervening two decades. Lord of the Rings? Harry Potter? Game of Thrones? Everything HBO? Considering it never fully owned a broadcast TV channel, this media company has done pretty well. So what went wrong? Well, in recent years, companies bought Warner Bros. instead of the other, smarter option. Explaining POCD (And Applying It to Mergers & Acquisitions) As I explained last issue, one of my favorite frameworks is the POCD tool for evaluating venture capital investments: People Opportunity Context Deal The bar to invest as a VC is high. (Or I might say “was” since cheap interest rates made life easier last decade.) You review a thousand prospectuses, get pitched by a hundred, and invest in the ten best, with the hopes that one of those ten would pay for the rest. That means every element of a deal needed to pay off: you needed the right people running the companies, who could capitalize on the right opportunity, in the context of an industry that was ripe for disruption. If you could then not overpay, you could make some money in a smart deal. The analogy isn’t perfect here, but close enough. For a merger or acquisition to work, you need the combined company (which is the opportunity) to make more than the price you need to pay (which is the deal). Note: the people and context still matter, but with M&A, it’s a little more straightforward: does the opportunity exceed the cost? And usually with Warner Bros., it hasn’t. If you want to find out the single biggest mistake made by the Warner Bros. suitors over the last few years (and my simple fix) become a paid subscriber. I’ll also touch on who I think Paramount-Skydance could (shockingly) consider buying next, TBD, and more. Sign up here.

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Sep 30 • 6:41 PM EDT • Entertainment • entertainment.substack.com
LeBron James Sends Clear Message About 76ers' Playoff Woes

LeBron James said at media day that he will not be losing in the second round. He will do what it takes to help the 76ers break the second-round curse.

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Sep 29 • 11:11 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Castlevania celebrates turning 40 by giving away the original game for free

Konami is giving away the original 1986 Castlevania for free to mark the series' 40th anniversary, alongside deep sales and a new game, Belmont's Curse.

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Sep 26 • 11:28 AM EDT • Technology • eurogamer.net
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Will Bridge The Gap Between The Animated Series And The Games

The success of the show has birthed a lot of fans waiting for a new Castlevania game to sink their teeth into

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Sep 24 • 12:00 PM EDT • Technology • kotaku.com
Barbara Crampton Will Face THE KENTUCKY GOBLINS In New Festive Found-Footage Creature Feature

She's taken on zombies, killer robots, cursed puppets, and a whole lot more, but now genre icon and Fango fave Barbara Crampton will face her trickiest foe yet with a starring role in The Kentucky Gob...

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Sep 20 • 11:02 AM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Sickening Super Bowl stat highlights Josh Allen, Bills’ playoff failures

The Bills' Super Bowl curse rolls on despite incredible QB play from Josh Allen.

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Sep 18 • 11:14 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Someone Gifted The Pope A Giant Hunk Of Materia

I regret to inform you that the Materia is cursed

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Sep 18 • 10:53 AM EDT • Technology • kotaku.com
Gonçalo Ramos’ stats fuel fears of Milan’s No. 9 curse

New Milan signing Gonçalo Ramos has not registered a single shot on target in his last three games and, against Benfica, lost possession 16 times.Pressure mounts on Milan striker Gonçalo Ramos, who ...

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Sep 17 • 5:45 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
1,700-year-old fragment of the 'Odyssey' discovered between pages of Dutch library book

The fragment is from Book 12, when Zeus curses Odysseus' men for killing and eating Helios' sacred cattle.

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Sep 16 • 4:12 PM EDT • Science • livescience.com
🚨 Official: Brazil star injured, Martinelli called up

He is cursed with the national team.After a blistering start to the season with Chelsea, Joao Pedro was hoping to use the international break to prove to Carlo Ancelotti that he should have taken him ...

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Sep 16 • 1:45 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Public invited to meet author at Oswego library

OSWEGO — Just in time for spooky season, author Savannah Stephens will visit the Oswego Public Library Oct. 3 from 1-2 p.m. to talk about her book, “Witch Queen Rising.”Step into gothic kingdoms, cursed forests, and haunted palaces where every bargain with magic demands blood, loyalty, or your soul. × This page requires Javascript. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. kAm$E6A96?D :D 2 52C< 72?E2DJ 2FE9@C H9@ AC@F5=J 4C62E6D E96 C6AC6D6?E2E:@? D96 =24A=6I AC@E28@?:DED 2C6 H2CC:@CD[ BF66?D[ 2DD2DD:?D[ H:E496D[ 2?5 >@?DE6CD H9@ 2== 6>3@5J q=24< v:C= |28:4] w6C 8@2= :D ?@E @?=J E@ 8:G6 C6256CD 72?E2DE:4 H@C=5D E@ 6D42A6 :?E@[ 3FE =6DD@?D 2?5 E@@=D E@ DFCG:G6 E96 C62= @?6 H96? E96 A286D DE@A EFC?:?8]k^AmkAmw6C $@FE96C? v@E9:4 72?E2DJ 563FE[ “(:E49 "F66? #:D:?8[” H2D 2? p>2K@? t5:E@CD’ !:4< 7@C q6DE $4:\u: U2>Aj u2?E2DJ WpAC:= a_aeX]k^Am#placement_726068_0_i{width:100%;margin:0 auto;}var rnd = window.rnd || Math.floor(Math.random()*10e6);var pid726068 = window.pid726068 || rnd;var plc726068 = window.plc726068 || 0;var abkw = window.abkw || '';var absrc = 'https://ads.empowerlocal.co/adserve/;ID=181918;size=0x0;setID=726068;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid726068+';place='+(plc726068++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER';var _absrc = absrc.split("type=js"); absrc = _absrc[0] + 'type=js;referrer=' + encodeURIComponent(document.location.href) + _absrc[1];document.write('');kAmq@@>F?:EJ C@@> @? E96 =@H6C =6G6= @7 E96 =:3C2CJ[ =@42E65 2E `a_ t] $64@?5 $E][ ~DH68@] %9:D AC@8C2> :D 7C66 2?5 @A6? E@ E96 AF3=:4]k^AmkAmu@C 2?J BF6DE:@?D[ 42== b`d\bc`\dgef @C 6>2:= k2 9C67lQ>2:=E@i@DH=:3o?4=D]@C8Qm@DH=:3o?4=D]@C8k^2m]k^Am googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-2978731'); });

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Sep 16 • 7:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • oswegocountynewsnow.com
Cardinals’ Mike LaFleur breaks 53-year old curse against Chargers

Mike LaFleur’s Cardinals debut ended with a Week 1 win over the Chargers and a long-awaited coaching milestone.

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Sep 13 • 8:25 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
😐 Neutral (10%)
Maybe the Rams needed more sleep. Plus, NASCAR’s curse-word money

The Pulse Newsletter 📣 | This is The Athletic’s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox. Good morning! Get some sleep today. Coming up: 😴 49ers blast snoozy Rams 🎾 Rybakina, Sabalenka set for showdown 🙏 Remembering 9/11 There was once an NFL team with an embarrassment of talent amassed on its roster. It was the easy, trendy pick to win a Super Bowl. Its backup quarterback was a former NFL Rookie of the Year and two-time Pro Bowler. This was a super team, or as that QB, Vince Young, called it, a “dream team.” These were...

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Sep 11 • 6:16 AM EDT • Sports • nytimes.com
The Not-So-Secret Winner in Netflix and YouTube’s Streaming Wars Battle

(Welcome to the “Most Important Story of the Week”, my bi-weekly strategy column analyzing the most important (but often not buzziest) news story of the last two weeks. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. Please subscribe.) Here’s a good piece of advice: when someone tells you a company has “won” the streaming wars, just assume they haven’t. Remember the narratives about the streaming media over the last few years: 2024 - Netflix has won the streaming wars! 2025 - YouTube has won the streaming wars! Yet…in 2026, I’d categorize it as… 2026 - Netflix and YouTube are battling for talent! Netflix and YouTube are aggressively fighting for top creators, marking a fierce new battle in the streaming wars. For two companies that “won”, that certainly doesn’t seem like winning behavior. If you win, you don’t have to fight for talent, because talent has to come to you. This is a good reminder that, if the streaming wars are a war—and I think they are—we should know what type of war they are. So it’s worth revisiting one of my big theories of the streaming wars, that the war these battles most represent is… The Thirty Years’ War1 I prefer this war to other, simpler wars, because, while it featured two “sides”—based on religion—and the current war has two main sides—tech versus entertainment—it also featured a lot of smaller players battling it out, sometimes switching sides. And that’s still the case for entertainment and media, despite the above headlines. I’d recommend this truism: if someone has to tell you they won the streaming wars, they probably haven’t. To wit, if someone told you they were fighting in the Thirty Years’ War—and no, they didn’t call it that at the time—and in year five, they told you they won, well, obviously they had 25 more years to go. That’s a lot of preamble to say, the story of the week is the latest battles between YouTube and Netflix. Their battle for talent says a lot about how hard this war will be to win. All that, plus The Curse of the Mogul in action, Netflix providing more (theatrical) data, whether Apple TV is in trouble, AMC getting in on distribution, and a whole lot more. Subscribe Today’s article is sponsored by… Substack is hosting a live Emmys watch party, starting at 5PM on the East Coast (2PM on the West Coast) on Monday, 14-Sep. Check it out! Tune In Most Important Story of the Week - Who’s the Big Winner in the Netflix vs YouTube Showdown? Netflix spent a lot in 2025, and then even more in 2026 adding a host of “creators”—both podcasters and YouTube stars—to their TV lineup. Frankly, for years, I’ve thought that more major studios/streamers/channels should look to YouTube as the launching pad for future stars and IP. Either by poaching proven talent—albeit at good prices—or by treating YouTube as an arena for your “A&R” reps to scout new talent and emerging voices. Netflix started executing the former strategy—which I thought was smart—while Focus Features did the latter with Obsession. So what changed? YouTube finally responded! Yikes. That’s a strong response, and stronger than I’d argue most narratives about YouTube suggest. People often describe YouTube as a self-reinforcing flywheel of success. Get on YouTube or perish. So why did YouTube have to respond? Because other folks poaching their top talent could really damage their business, implying their flywheel is a pinch more rickety than most analysis suggests. Clearly, creators can envision a life off YouTube and potentially a much more lucrative one. The Curse of the Media Mogul is Playing Out In Real Time We’re just getting started with this issue, but the rest is for paid subscribers of the Entertainment Strategy Guy, so if you’d like to find out… Who is the big winner in the Netflix versus YouTube battle… The biggest question about YouTube… Plus why YouTube’s saber rattling should worry talent… Why I’m skeptical that a U.S. federal tax credit for film will happen… What key change could pull Apple from the streaming business. AMC getting in on distribution… Some great reads on the Warner Bros.-Paramount merger... And a whole lot more... ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support.

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Sep 10 • 5:34 PM EDT • Entertainment • entertainment.substack.com
'Practical Magic 2' is charming but cursed by repetition

The Owens sisters are as bewitching as ever – multiple generations of them, in fact – in “Practical Magic 2,” even if the sequel might only truly cast a spell

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Sep 8 • 6:07 PM EDT • Entertainment • centraloregondaily.com
‘Here There Are Blueberries’ heads to Broadway, Rupert Grint returns in ‘Cursed Child’ and more theater news

"Here There Are Blueberries" and other productions are headed to Broadway and theater in New York City.

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Sep 7 • 8:56 AM EDT • Entertainment • amny.com
New James Bond feature film to première at GoldenEye

A new feature documentary exploring the life, imagination and enduring legacy of James Bond creator Ian Fleming – titled Ian Fleming and the Curse of James Bond – will première at GoldenEye, Fleming’s former Jamaican home, during the 80th anniversary year of the villa’s construction. Directed by Adam Low, the film examines Ian Fleming’s life, imagination and legacy beyond the legend of 007, considering the contradictions, pressures and fascinations that shaped both the man and the charged literary world he created.

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Sep 7 • 1:06 AM EDT • Entertainment • jamaica-gleaner.com
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Trailer Will Give Veteran Fans Goosebumps

Bloody Tears... Need we say more?

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Sep 3 • 3:30 PM EDT • Technology • nintendolife.com
Konami Press Start live stream set for September 3 featuring Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, Silent Hill: Townfall, and Rev. NOiR

Konami will host a “Konami Press Start” live stream on September 3 at 8:00 a.m. PT / 11:00 a.m. ET / September 4 at 00:00 JST, featuring game news and updates, the company announced. Yo…

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Aug 31 • 8:05 PM EDT • Technology • gematsu.com
Luis Schiumerini Receives the 2026 Robert A. Dahl Award for "Incumbency Bias: Why Political Office is a Blessing and a Curse in Latin America" -

The Robert A. Dahl Award is presented annually by the American Political Science Association (APSA) to honor an untenured scholar who has produced scholarship of the highest quality on the subject of democracy. Citation from the Award Committee: [...]

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Aug 26 • 12:00 PM EDT • Politics • politicalsciencenow.com
Rupert Grint will become Ron Weasley again

Rupert Grint, known as Ron Weasley from the “Harry Potter” movies, will reprise his role on Broadway in “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.” He will perform at the Lyric

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Aug 26 • 11:22 AM EDT • Entertainment • yakimaherald.com
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Reveals English Voice Cast In New Trailer

Launching on Switch this October

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Aug 24 • 8:30 PM EDT • Technology • nintendolife.com
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse English voice cast announced

Publisher Konami and developers Evil Empire and Motion Twin have announced the English voice cast for Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse.

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Aug 24 • 11:14 AM EDT • Technology • gematsu.com
amBroadway | Tom Felton extends ‘Harry Potter’ run for final time, reality stars to join ‘Just in Time’ cast and more

Tom Felton will remain on Broadway a little longer than expected, extending his run as Draco Malfoy in “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” through Jan. 3,

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Aug 18 • 12:30 PM EDT • Entertainment • amny.com
Ari Emanuel's Mari to Acquire Broadway and West End Theater Giant ATG Entertainment

ATG operates 70 venues across the U.S., U.K., Germany and Spain and hosts Broadway productions such as "The Lion King," "Wicked" and "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child"

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Aug 11 • 10:27 AM EDT • Entertainment • thewrap.com
‘Real mummy’s curse’: health warning over growing trade in mummified human remains

Academic paper says often illicit trade exposes enthusiasts – and postal workers handling items – to serious risks

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Aug 11 • 9:25 AM EDT • Health • theguardian.com
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Debut time-travel romance is light on science, heavy on pining

“All We Have is Time” by Amy Tordoff is a love story between an immortal and a time traveler. Our immortal, Beatrix, has been cursed never to die.

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Aug 4 • 5:55 PM EDT • Science • clarionledger.com
Sports quiz of the week: new faces, old friends, fights, fallouts and a curse

Have you been following the big stories in football, boxing, athletics, horse racing, Gaelic games, golf and cycling?

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Jul 31 • 6:03 AM EDT • Sports • theguardian.com
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Fashion IPOs Became a Recipe for Disaster. Reformation Thinks Its Business Model Can Break the Curse

Reformation’s IPO shows investors may be willing to buy fashion again, but only if the story comes with profits, cash flow, and proof customers keep coming back.

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Jul 30 • 7:07 PM EDT • Business • inc.com
Exclusive: Disney Insists That Cursed Kingdom Hearts Art Was Not AI-Generated

A joint statement from Disney and Square Enix says the odd-looking cover art for The Kingdom Hearts Collection [I-III] was the result of "human error."

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Jul 30 • 3:14 PM EDT • Technology • gamespot.com
Moreno curses out Fauci over COVID response

Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, made headlines Wednesday when he cursed out Dr. Anthony Fauci at a congressional hearing on the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Jul 29 • 4:57 PM EDT • Politics • spectrumnews1.com
🇮🇪 Y! Sports AM: 75-year wait

Mayo finally won the All-Ireland title on Sunday, breaking one of the longest curses in all of sports.

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Jul 28 • 7:56 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
What does it mean to end 75 years of heartbreak?

After Mayo ended their 75-year wait to win the All-Ireland, what does it mean to finally end the 'Mayo curse'?.

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Jul 26 • 6:25 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
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Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Will Run At 30fps On Switch

Konami's 2D action-exploration game arrives this October

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Jul 25 • 12:00 PM EDT • Technology • nintendolife.com
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse gets first Nintendo Switch screenshots, frame rate confirmed

The first Nintendo Switch screenshots for Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse are in, and depending on who you ask, this version of the game might be looking a little rough. Pre-orders for the title started on the Nintendo eShop this week. That’s brought us six different images to look at, and this is actually the first time we’re seeing the Nintendo Switch...

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Jul 25 • 8:00 AM EDT • Technology • nintendoeverything.com
Walker Scobell and ‘Percy Jackson’ EP warn season 3 is ‘darkest’ yet: ‘People are dying’ (exclusive)

‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ star Walker Scobell and executive producer Craig Silverstein talk about adapting ‘The Titan’s Curse’ for season 3 — and why it’s their ‘darkest’ one yet.

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Jul 21 • 1:00 PM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com
Seth Meyers Calls Trump ‘The Sports Reaper’

The late-night host joked that the president’s sports curse had struck again after he backed Lionel Messi of Argentina, which then lost the World Cup final to Spain.

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Jul 21 • 3:44 AM EDT • Sports • nytimes.com
Democrat set to replace Platner in Maine led state Senate with a temper

Troy Jackson, the presumptive Democratic nominee to challenge Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), yelled and cursed at fellow state lawmakers, interviews reveal.

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Jul 20 • 5:14 PM EDT • Politics • washingtonpost.com
The great Netflix turn-off

Music fans will be familiar with the curse of the difficult second album, when an act they like follows up a wonderful debut record with a disappointing one (think Second Coming by the Stones Roses or...

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Jul 18 • 10:04 AM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse Might Make the Long Wait for a New 2D Castlevania Worth It

After playing the first three hours of Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, Dead Cells developer Evil Empire's take on the legendary series seems to be poised to live up to extraordinarily high standards set by its predecessors.

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Jul 17 • 3:01 AM EDT • Technology • ign.com
Castlevania Belmont's Curse Hands-On: A Daunting Balancing Act

The 2D revival combines Dead Cells and Hollow Knight into a Metroidvania that aims to be more than an homage

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Jul 17 • 3:00 AM EDT • Technology • kotaku.com
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse hands-on report

Konami and Evil Empire get the blood pumping with slick combat in classic Castlevania.

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Jul 17 • 3:00 AM EDT • Technology • blog.playstation.com
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse - Komani classic rises again from Paris sewers and Joan of Arc is a boss

Evil Empire creatives explain how it is playing to today’s ‘metroidvanias’ and honouring the original’s legacy with much fresh slaying to be done

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Jul 17 • 3:00 AM EDT • Technology • theguardian.com
The Unlikely Story Of How Konami Asked Evil Empire To Make Castlevania: Belmont's Curse

What started as a simple crossover request became a years-long collaboration.

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Jul 16 • 8:00 PM EDT • Technology • gameinformer.com
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse for Switch launches October 15

The Switch version of Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse will launch day and date with the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC (Steam, Microsoft Store) versions on October 15, publisher Konami and d…

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Jul 14 • 9:22 PM EDT • Technology • gematsu.com
The Phillies’ All-Stars vs. the “Curse of Kyle Schwarber”

Can any of the Phillies’ All-Stars take home the MVP award tonight?

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Jul 14 • 12:59 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Days after leaving Xbox, South of Midnight developer Compulsion Games broadcasts that it's looking for work

Life after Xbox begins. A blessing or a curse?

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Jul 14 • 6:14 AM EDT • Technology • eurogamer.net
Is the ‘Drake curse’ real? Here’s what the data says…and what Drake says

The “Drake curse” is being put to the test on Saturday night when Conor McGregor returns to the octagon to fight Max Halloway at UFC 329. If you weren’t aware, rapper Drake is an avid gamble…

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Jul 11 • 2:46 PM EDT • Entertainment • ktla.com
The curse of Donald Trump: where he goes, sporting defeat follows

The USMNT’s World Cup crashout is the latest episode to suggest the support and intervention of Donald J Trump brings bad luck

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Jul 8 • 12:29 PM EDT • Sports • theguardian.com
Sports Fans Convinced There’s a ‘Trump Curse’ After USMNT World Cup Ouster

President Donald Trump's intervention in the World Cup before the USMNT's elimination has convinced sports fans the commander in chief is nothing but a jinx.

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Jul 7 • 8:24 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Is there a Trump sports curse? USMNT's World Cup flameout revives the theory

From the Knicks' NBA Finals stumble to USMNT's Belgium blowout, a pattern keeps surfacing whenever the president shows up. Is it real?

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Jul 7 • 12:00 AM EDT • Sports • usatoday.com
Surviving since Lincoln: How six generations beat the small business curse

Sixth-generation owner Alex Bassett Strange leads a Philadelphia ice cream business that has survived 165 years with new flavors and global exports.

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Jul 4 • 7:00 AM EDT • Business • foxbusiness.com
Why the forces that felled Keir Starmer threaten so many western leaders

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was felled by a curse haunting most western leaders — a failure to deliver change to voters who’ve lost trust in the capacity of modern politics to make their lives better and more affordable.

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Jun 22 • 7:38 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com
The New York Knicks Just Did the Impossible

This doesn’t feel real. All New York Knicks fans have known for the last 53 years is heartbreak and humiliation. We were cursed. Jordan. Starks’ 2-18 in Game 7. Reggie. Ewing going down. Missing out on Steph by one pick. Rebuffing Jeremy Lin. Phil Jackson. Amar’e’s knees. The Unicorn jumping ship. The Zion draft. …

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Jun 14 • 7:30 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
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New York's victorious Knicks leave World Cup in the cold

The World Cup carnival arrived in New York on Saturday, but it was drowned out by the city's elation after the hometown Knicks broke a 53-year curse to win the NBA Finals.- No 'big buzz' - In an industrial section of Brooklyn, the manager of an indoor five-a-side arena said ahead of the Knicks win that "obviously the Knicks, as they should, are over-shining" the World Cup.

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Jun 14 • 12:04 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Call Of Duty Is Xbox's Biggest Blessing And Its Curse

The mega franchise seemingly had one of its worst years in recent history

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Jun 12 • 1:42 PM EDT • Technology • kotaku.com
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Gets A Release Date, But Not On Switch

You 'aving a Dracu-laugh?

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Jun 7 • 5:45 PM EDT • Technology • nintendolife.com
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse won't be on Nintendo Switch at launch

Konami and Evil Empire just set the release date for Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse today, but those interested in the Nintendo Switch version will need to wait a bit longer for the game. On most platforms, the title is coming on October 15, 2026. However, in the most recent trailer posted on Bilibili, Konami confirms that the Nintendo Switch version is...

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Jun 7 • 2:51 PM EDT • Technology • nintendoeverything.com
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse launches October 15 for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC, later in 2026 for Switch

Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam and Microsoft Store on October 15, followed by Switch later in 2026, publisher Konami and developers …

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Jun 7 • 1:53 PM EDT • Technology • gematsu.com
The strange history of baseball’s superstitions: ‘Magic is in the sport’s very structure’

A new book looks at how rituals, charms and curses are central to the identity of America’s pastime

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Jun 5 • 5:00 AM EDT • Sports • theguardian.com
'Stop Killing Games’ Bill Passes California Assembly

Bill AB 1921 adds new stipulations to games being taken offline, giving Accursed Farms’ Scott Ross one of his biggest stateside wins yet

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May 31 • 11:03 AM EDT • Technology • kotaku.com
Widow’s Bay Episode 6 Finally Peels Back the Curtain on the Cursed Village

“Our History” is an enlightening prequel that will satisfy the show’s budding lore hounds.

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May 27 • 6:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • esquire.com
Nintendo loves Yoshi but hasn't made a good Yoshi game in 30 years

Nintendo's mascot has endured a 30-year curse

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May 23 • 8:01 AM EDT • Technology • polygon.com
Cursed Children’s Entertainment: A Reading (and Watching, and Gaming) List

I’ve spent the last two decades trying to smuggle darkness into your brain under Spider-Man sheets. It’s the theme of my writing career: Give you something fun, strange, and frivolous, then rip the…

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May 15 • 5:10 AM EDT • Entertainment • crimereads.com
🙂 Positive (38%)
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Valerie Bertinelli Apologizes After Dropping F-Bomb During ‘Today’ Interview

Actress cursed twice live on-air.

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May 7 • 12:06 PM EDT • Entertainment • cbs19news.com
iPhone 18 Pro has broken a four-year curse, leaked image shows

A mistakenly published image reveals a much-awaited iPhone 18 Pro design change.

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May 3 • 9:38 AM EDT • Technology • phonearena.com
A PvP Guide to Sustainability Week 2026

New event means new grinding opportunities for PvP! We got an all-new Pokemon to hunt down and a couple oldies-but-goodies to grind for as well. How do they look? Let’s see! A GOOD CURSE? ☠️ It doesn’t feel that long ago, but it’s been a year and half since GALARIAN CORSOLA arrived in Pokémon GO, and while the meta has changed […]

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Apr 15 • 8:08 AM EDT • Technology • pokemongohub.net
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse Let's You Fight Joan Of Arc And Explore Notre Dame In New Trailer

Bonjour, evildoers

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Apr 9 • 3:15 PM EDT • Technology • nintendolife.com
This Is The Longest I Haven’t Played ‘Destiny 2’ Since Curse Of Osiris

Destiny 2 is not just in a content drought, it is in a content graveyard, and I have not played in months as a result.

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Apr 6 • 10:56 AM EDT • Technology • forbes.com
Broadway's 'Six' leads New Orleans theater shows this week, from 'Little Women' to 'Irish Curse'

Dive into history with "Six," embrace sisterhood in "Little Women," and laugh with "The Irish Curse." Tickets available now for these captivating productions!

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Apr 2 • 11:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • nola.com
‘The World Cup curse’: Outcry as Italy miss out for third time in a row

Italy's sport minister says football federation boss should step down after national team loses playoff to Bosnia.

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Apr 1 • 9:09 AM EDT • Sports • aljazeera.com
A Brief History of Italy's Ongoing World Cup Curse

Italy has failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the third consecutive time.

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Mar 31 • 5:50 PM EDT • Sports • foxsports.com
Lindsey Graham, Disney World and the curse of spring break in a shutdown

As President Donald Trump mulls calling Congress back into session to end the DHS shutdown, lawmakers' vacations are coming under scrutiny.

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Mar 31 • 2:28 PM EDT • Politics • usatoday.com