Emo and the Forbidden City Collide
In November I wrote about a band called 30 Seconds to Mars who shot the first ever music video filmed exclusively in mainland China.  Well, nearly 4 months after the video for "From Yesterday" premiered on MTV2, the song has reached #5 on the Billboard Modern Rock Chart and is everywhere on U.S. radio and TV.  The video, shot in the Forbidden City in Beijing and the Emperor Qin Palace in Xian, features over 300 Chinese extras, a sword-fighting scene and elaborate costumes and props.  Below is the extended video which features an intro in which "China's emperor" is told he can have any wish granted and he requests to have 30 Seconds to Mars perform for him.  That's a questionable request.  This band is kind of like the eyeliner worn by its lead singer Jared Leto-- dark and stupid.  And the song sounds like it should be background music for 15-year-old girls in the process of breaking up with their boyfriends.  But nevertheless, these guys can forever claim to have shot the first mainstream American video in China.  And this extended version of "From Yesterday" includes some cool shots of the Forbidden City not seen in the shorter MTV version.

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