Yoko Ono Approves Use of John Lennon Song in 'The New Normal'

By Rolling Stone | Rolling Stone – Thu, Mar 7, 2013 9:45 AM EST

Yoko Ono has signed off on the use of John Lennon's song "Beautiful Boy" in the season finale of the NBC comedy The New Normal, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Series co-creator Ryan Murphy (Glee, American Horror Story) unveiled the news during a recent panel talk with the show's cast and crew at Paley Fest in Los Angeles, saying he and his fellow creator Ali Adler both shared an affinity for the track: "We reached out to Yoko Ono to get permission to use that song for an entire act with no dialogue and she said yes."

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The New Normal tells the story of Bryan (Andrew Rannells) and David (Justin Bartha), a gay couple living in L.A., who enlist single mother Goldie Clemmons (Georgia King) to be a surrogate for their baby. The show also stars Ellen Barkin as Jane, Goldie's less-than-accepting grandmother. The finale comes as Goldie is about to give birth, and Bryan and David move closer to their wedding date.

Murphy went on to talk about how the show, along with others like Modern Family and Glee, has helped change people's mind about gay rights: "If you know someone and you know what their struggle is, you're less likely to have prejudice against them," he said. "[Gay rights] is biggest civil rights movement of our time and the reason we've had the quick leap forward is because of television."

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This article originally appeared on Rolling Stone: Yoko Ono Approves Use of John Lennon Song in 'The New Normal'

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