def empty_items(item_list, total):
    """
    Returns a list of null objects. Useful when you want to always show n
    results and you have a list of < n.
    """
    list_length = len(item_list)
    expected_total = int(total)
    if list_length != expected_total:
        return range(0, expected_total-list_length)
    return ''