There’s nothing funny about Russian president Vladimir Putin’s deadly invasion of Ukraine, which at press time had reportedly resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians and a global effort to isolate and financially punish the former KGB boss. But, of course, late night shows are tasked with finding the funny in the horrific and on Monday night (Feb. 28) Stephen Colbert nailed that pop culture triple Lindy with a pitch-perfect Taylor Swift spoof.
The subject was the move to remove certain Russian banks from SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication), a special messaging service that connects global financial institutions and helps to coordinate money transfers as a means of punishing Putin for invading neighboring Ukraine. Instead of a boring explainer, Colbert “acquired” a special message from Swift that broke down the geopolitical financial smackdown.
“Economic pain for invading Ukraine/ That’s how Vlad will pay, hmm mm, Here’s his Wordle today,” the stand-in Swift sang over images of the Russian Ruble’s value collapsing on world markets and a world puzzle that spelled out “Broke” in instantly recognizable green letters. “Financially he’ll grieve, for sending troops to Kyiv/ Nipples please just leave, you’re not Keanu Reeves.”
The 90-second bit, which interspersed pics of a shirtless Putin with shots from the original “Shake It Off” video boldly announced that it’s time for sanctions, excommunication and a hard break from interbank telecommunication.”Cuz I’m cutting off his banks, banks banks, banks, banks/ Til he turns around his tanks, tanks, tanks, tanks, tanks/ Vladdy I’m not gonna take, take, take, take take sanctions off, sanctions off!”
The world has condemned Russia’s aggressive action, with dozens of artists from Green Day to Louis Tomlinson, Yungblud, Health, Frank Ferdinand, Miley Cyrus, The Weeknd and Barbra Streisand either canceling planned shows in Russia or expressing solidarity with the Ukrainian people.
Watch the video below.
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KATSEYE have officially begun a fresh chapter with the announcement of their forthcoming single, Pinky Up.
The K-pop girl group sparked curiosity online after sharing a string of mysterious posts that quickly had fans trying to piece together the clues.
The first teaser, posted on March 30, featured the Mona Lisa gently raising a hot cup of tea with her pinky finger lifted. The next video, uploaded the next day, showed an arcade claw machine labeled with the group’s name pulling a sword from a mix of sparkling plush toys and a single teacup. Making things even more intriguing, the caption stated: “We’re screaming from cloud nine!!”
Their third update finally revealed the song title along with its cover art. The image showed a figure kneeling on a rug next to a teacup and a toy cat, while the title appeared in bright hot pink text across the visual. The group also confirmed the release date as April 9.
Pinky Up will arrive just one day before KATSEYE appear at Coachella on April 10, which will mark their first time performing at the famous festival.
The single also marks their first comeback since HYBE and Geffen confirmed that member Manon Bannerman would be stepping away for a period of time to prioritize her “health and well being.”
In a message posted on Weverse, they shared: "Hello. After open and thoughtful conversations together, we are sharing that Manon will be taking a temporary hiatus from group activities to focus on her health and wellbeing."
The group expressed that they “fully support this decision,” and added: “KATSEYE remains committed to showing up for one another and for the fans who mean everything to us. We look forward to being together again when the time is right.”
While she is away, the group will continue promotions with Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel, Sophia Laforteza and Yoonchae Jeung.
They closed their message by saying: “Thank you to our EYEKONS for your continued love, patience, and understanding.”
