Salon.com > Sitcoms http://www.salon.com Sat, 25 May 2013 14:00:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 “New Girl” creator Liz Meriwether: “I don’t think the show is adorkable” http://www.salon.com/2013/05/15/new_girl_creator_liz_meriwether_i_don%e2%80%99t_think_the_show_is_adorkable/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/15/new_girl_creator_liz_meriwether_i_don%e2%80%99t_think_the_show_is_adorkable/#comments Wed, 15 May 2013 12:30:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13297355 "New Girl" finished its wonderful second season with badger jokes, an interrupted wedding, a Taylor Swift cameo and Nick (Jake Johnson) and Jess (Zooey Deschanel) riding off into the night. Liz Meriwether is the series' bespectacled 31-year-old creator, currently on a month-long break before beginning work on the show's third season. She got on the phone with me to talk about the finale, Nick and Jess's future, "Dawson's Creek," guys liking "New Girl," and her feelings about "adorkable."

Did you and the writers discuss not having Nick and Jess get together at the end of the season?

I don’t feel like they’re completely together at the end of the season. I think they are driving off into the unknown. We definitely wanted to leave it open. I don’t think the end of the season necessarily means that they are now a couple. They are just hopping in the car together. And, yes, we had endless discussions about every element of their relationship. That was our biggest concern in the writer’s room. It still kind of scares me; much in the way they are jumping in the car not knowing what’s going to happen, I am also jumping in the [laughing] figurative car not knowing what’s going to happen. It’s definitely terrifying, as someone who loves these kind of plots in sitcoms. I feels like it’s a great privilege that I get to do one myself, and I really don’t want to mess it up. They are just so great together.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/15/new_girl_creator_liz_meriwether_i_don%e2%80%99t_think_the_show_is_adorkable/feed/ 1 Marlo Thomas: “It’s amazing the impact ‘Free to Be …’ had. Yet nobody followed it up. It’s gone bad” http://www.salon.com/2013/02/26/marlo_thomas_its_amazing_the_impact_free_to_be_had_yet_nobody_followed_it_up_its_gone_bad/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/26/marlo_thomas_its_amazing_the_impact_free_to_be_had_yet_nobody_followed_it_up_its_gone_bad/#comments Tue, 26 Feb 2013 16:45:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13179986 Before “Girls,” “New Girl” and “2 Broke Girls,” there was “That Girl.” First premiering in 1966, it was the first sitcom about a single woman who wanted a career — an unprecedented feminist concept for TV at the time —  pitched by its star, who just happened to be carrying a copy of "The Feminine Mystique" with her to the meeting.

Hers is only one story from the huge, multifaceted women’s movement chronicled in the new three-hour documentary “Makers: Women Who Make America,” airing Tuesday night on PBS, which profiles women on the front lines of the 50-year struggle for women’s rights. Marlo Thomas, who starred as Anne Marie, the title role of ”That Girl,” appears in each of the three hours of the documentary — Hillary Clinton and Gloria Steinem are the other two stars of the documentary.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/26/marlo_thomas_its_amazing_the_impact_free_to_be_had_yet_nobody_followed_it_up_its_gone_bad/feed/ 17 ABC pulls “Apartment 23″ effective immediately http://www.salon.com/2013/01/22/abc_pulls_apartment_23_effective_immediately/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/22/abc_pulls_apartment_23_effective_immediately/#comments Tue, 22 Jan 2013 22:19:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13179105 "Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23," ABC's improbable comedy about two frenemies and their sidekick, actor James van der Beek, has been pulled from the network's lineup effective immediately. Despite having eight unaired episodes, ABC will broadcast back-to-back episodes of "Happy Endings" instead. The network has not said anything, yet, on the future of the show or when the remaining episodes will air.

Actor James van der Beek, who plays a fictionalized version of himself on the show, was upset by the news but told fans not to blame the network:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/22/abc_pulls_apartment_23_effective_immediately/feed/ 22 Meet this season’s 10 TV scene-stealers and scene-killers http://www.salon.com/2012/12/02/meet_this_seasons_10_tv_scene_stealers_and_scene_killers/ http://www.salon.com/2012/12/02/meet_this_seasons_10_tv_scene_stealers_and_scene_killers/#comments Sun, 02 Dec 2012 20:30:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13112331 Every TV show has a lead actor or actress — but then there's everyone else. Supporting characters may not sell the show, but they're integral to what makes a series good or bad, funny — or so, so not funny. Herewith, a slideshow of the five best and five worst supporting actors on relatively new TV shows (or, as in the case of Bobby Cannavale, in new parts on longer-running TV shows) from Danny Castellano to Sgt. Brody's son. (And yes, basically every one on "2 Broke Girls" could have made this list, but that seemed too easy.)

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/12/02/meet_this_seasons_10_tv_scene_stealers_and_scene_killers/feed/ 10 Charlie Sheen says “Two and a Half Men” is cursed http://www.salon.com/2012/11/28/charlie_sheen_says_two_and_a_half_men_is_cursed/ http://www.salon.com/2012/11/28/charlie_sheen_says_two_and_a_half_men_is_cursed/#comments Wed, 28 Nov 2012 17:18:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13109260 Former "Two and a Half Men" star and public disaster Charlie Sheen has officially weighed in on his former co-star's bizarre outburst, in which Angus T. Jones called the show "filth" and urged viewers not to watch the show that Jones stars in. Jones has since apologized and Sheen said the outburst was uncharacteristic. “Obviously, not having been there for some time, the Angus T. Jones that I knew and still love is not the same guy I saw on YouTube yesterday," he said to TMZ.

But Sheen, himself a walking hyperbole, blamed the show's creator, Chuck Lorre, for Jones' "Hale-Bopp-like meltdown," saying, “I dare anyone to spend 10 years in the laugh-track that is Chuck Lorre’s hive of oppression and not suffer some form of an emotional tsunami.”  Sheen told E! Online, "It is radically clear to me that the show is cursed."

 

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/11/28/charlie_sheen_says_two_and_a_half_men_is_cursed/feed/ 2 TV’s 10 best single dads http://www.salon.com/2012/11/27/tvs_greatest_single_dads/ http://www.salon.com/2012/11/27/tvs_greatest_single_dads/#comments Tue, 27 Nov 2012 20:24:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13108570 When "Two and a Half Men's" Angus T. Jones made a splash earlier this week by telling the world that watching his sitcom is tantamount to "filling your head with filth," he wasn't just performing a public service to his Christian brethren. He was reminding generations of television viewers of the steady, Emmy-winning work of his costar and TV dad Jon Cryer, and of the scores of widowers and divorcés and uncles and wards who've stepped in and raised so many adorable boob-tube kids without a mother's helping hand. A single mother may be the cause of all that's violent and terrible in America, but a guy changing diapers on his own? That's COMEDY GOLD.

So, for all of us who grew up on the notion that prime time requires at least one hapless dude and a cute kid or two at all times, we would like to take a moment to salute our favorite bumbling, bungling single dads. And honorable mentions to the fathers and father figures who didn't quite make the cut, including "Family Affair's" Bill Davis, "The Courtship of Eddie's Father's" Tom Corbett, "Silver Spoons'" Edward Stratton, "Punky Brewster's" Henry Warnimont, "Hannah Montana's" Robby Stewart, "Raising Hope's" Jimmy Chance and "Suburgatory's" George Altman.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/11/27/tvs_greatest_single_dads/feed/ 11 “Next Caller” creator reflects on canceled Dane Cook sitcom http://www.salon.com/2012/11/19/next_caller_creator_reflects_on_cancelled_dane_cook_sitcom/ http://www.salon.com/2012/11/19/next_caller_creator_reflects_on_cancelled_dane_cook_sitcom/#comments Mon, 19 Nov 2012 17:04:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13102871 Writer and producer Stephen Falk recently wrote a blog post "from outside a Starbucks in Flagstaff, AZ" to voice his frustrations, aspirations and insights after investing a year on a sitcom for NBC, only to have the plug pulled on it before it ever aired. To be honest, the premise of "Next Caller Please," a gender comedy starring comedian Dane Cook, never sounded too appealing -- but Falk's letter, written with honesty and humor, makes one wish NBC had given it a fair shot. Falk inspires aspiring writers to be persistent, saying, "It’s a hard job to crack into, but if you’re good enough and driven enough, it will happen for you. Don’t give up!" as he lays down the dizzying reality of writing for a television show:

On "making it":

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/11/19/next_caller_creator_reflects_on_cancelled_dane_cook_sitcom/feed/ 7 “Michael Bolton’s Daughter Is Destroying My Life” http://www.salon.com/2012/10/12/michael_bolton%e2%80%99s_daughter_is_destroying_my_life/ http://www.salon.com/2012/10/12/michael_bolton%e2%80%99s_daughter_is_destroying_my_life/#comments Fri, 12 Oct 2012 15:53:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13038544 ABC is taking the whole Michael Bolton-as-a-pop-culture-reference thing to a whole new level. Deadline reports that the 30-minute sitcom "Michael Bolton’s Daughter Is Destroying My Life" is now in development at ABC and stars the Grammy award-winning pop singer. The show "tells the story of a naïve young writer who moves to the big city and ends up taking a job heading 'social media' for singer-songwriter Michael Bolton. The writer quickly learns she has her hands full with Bolton and the wild-child daughter he has recently taken in."

Will Bolton turn into the gimmicky, forced "fictional" character like James van der Beek is in "The B in Apt. 23"? If  Lonely Island's "Captain Jack Sparrow" offers any evidence, then hope remains:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/10/12/michael_bolton%e2%80%99s_daughter_is_destroying_my_life/feed/ 1 Issa Rae lands ABC sitcom http://www.salon.com/2012/10/02/issa_rae_lands_abc_sitcom/ http://www.salon.com/2012/10/02/issa_rae_lands_abc_sitcom/#comments Tue, 02 Oct 2012 16:35:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13027995 Issa Rae, the Stanford grad who created the popular Web comedy "The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl," has landed her own TV show. Producer Shonda Rhimes has sold "I Hate L.A. Dudes," another comedy by Rae, to ABC. Deadline reports:

"I Hate L.A. Dudes" centers on an aspiring journalist, new to Los Angeles, who becomes the lone female voice on a budding, male-driven Internet talk show, while learning to decode the often humiliating and exasperating rules of the LA dating scene. Rae, repped by UTA, 3 Arts and John Meigs, is writing/co-executive producing. Expanding into comedy has been a major priority for Shondaland, which established its brand in drama.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/10/02/issa_rae_lands_abc_sitcom/feed/ 0 Salon’s Emmys liveblog http://www.salon.com/2012/09/23/salon_liveblogs_the_emmys/ http://www.salon.com/2012/09/23/salon_liveblogs_the_emmys/#comments Sun, 23 Sep 2012 23:15:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13018494 [liveblog id=27]

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/09/23/salon_liveblogs_the_emmys/feed/ 0 Quote of the day http://www.salon.com/2012/08/29/quote_of_the_day_26/ http://www.salon.com/2012/08/29/quote_of_the_day_26/#comments Wed, 29 Aug 2012 21:46:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=12996258 Ann Romney told Entertainment Tonight that "Modern Family"-- a show about families unlike her own--is her favorite television program.  The show's co-creator, Steve Levitan, responded in tweet form:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/08/29/quote_of_the_day_26/feed/ 4 “Two and a Half Men’s” latest sexist dis http://www.salon.com/2012/04/03/two_and_a_half_mens_latest_sexist_dis/ http://www.salon.com/2012/04/03/two_and_a_half_mens_latest_sexist_dis/#comments Tue, 03 Apr 2012 15:44:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=12787601 Lee Aronsohn is sorry he said he was tired of your vaginas. As you were, ladies.

On Monday, the co-creator of "Two and a Half Men" issued a now-standard Twitter mea culpa, explaining that "it was a stupid joke. I'm sorry." His offense? Kvetching on Sunday to the Hollywood Reporter, "Enough, ladies. I get it. You have periods … We are approaching peak vagina on television, the point of labia saturation." Labia saturation: no longer just a weird side effect from antidepressants.

It has indeed been a banner year for vaginas on television, with one-liners about the holy of holies turning up all over the place -- including on saucy, female-driven comedies like "Whitney" and "Two Broke Girls." The truth is that few of these jokes are legitimately funny. They're more often deployed to shock, and thereby make lame routines notable. Surely Aronsohn isn't the only one feeling a little exhausted by the V-word.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/04/03/two_and_a_half_mens_latest_sexist_dis/feed/ 35 The great sitcom divide http://www.salon.com/2012/01/21/the_great_sitcom_divide/ http://www.salon.com/2012/01/21/the_great_sitcom_divide/#comments Sat, 21 Jan 2012 00:30:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=12205431 On a recent episode of "2 Broke Girls," the following writing somehow made it onto television:

(Waitress to dissatisfied customer)

Waitress: Would you like to see the menu again?

Customer: This is crap, I wanted Muenster.

Waitress: Well, I wanted to be running a Fortune 500 company instead of waiting on a toxic man-child like yourself. But we can't always get what we want, so order something else, put it in your pie hole and get on with your damn life.

- - - - - - - - - -

I hadn’t realized my taste in comedy was so elitist until I watched some of the new multi-camera sitcoms and observed what I had assumed was an already long-dead form of comedy. When I say “new,” I’m referring to multi-camera shows that have persisted after the advent/rise of the single-camera sitcom. If, like me, you've spent recent years watching "30 Rock," "Arrested Development," "Louie" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm," it's a completely different experience to tune into talked-about shows like "Whitney," "2 Broke Girls" and "Are You There, Chelsea?"

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/01/21/the_great_sitcom_divide/feed/ 67 Television's season of the vagina http://www.salon.com/2011/09/26/vagina_sitcom_season/ http://www.salon.com/2011/09/26/vagina_sitcom_season/#comments Mon, 26 Sep 2011 14:27:00 +0000 Long ago, vaginas were barely acknowledged in prime time. Mary Richards and Laverne and Shirley never mentioned theirs. Even Carrie Bradshaw only gave hers a few passing nods. And while "Grey's Anatomy" turned "vajayjay" into a euphemism a few seasons ago, this year, there's very little pussy-footing around. Vagina! Cue laugh track!

It's a big year for the vagina, which has been asserting its presence as the go-to punchline for months now. It's been lightheartedly hailed as the "center of civilization" (sorry, Williamsburg) in one Summer's Eve douche campaign and turned into your sassy, vaguely racist BFF in another. Last month, Olivia Wilde one-upped Jennifer Love Hewitt's now legendary explanation of vajazzling by describing her favorite "vagina tattoo" on "Conan."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/09/26/vagina_sitcom_season/feed/ 15 The retro sexism of “Whitney” http://www.salon.com/2011/09/19/whitney_cummings_retro_sexist/ http://www.salon.com/2011/09/19/whitney_cummings_retro_sexist/#comments Mon, 19 Sep 2011 19:01:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/life//feature/2011/09/19/whitney_cummings_retro_sexist Ladies, don't you just hate it when you're ovulating? And guys are, like, not? Am I riiiiiiight?

It hasn't even premiered yet, but Whitney Cummings' aggressively promoted new sitcom may just be the most unself-awarely retro-sexist show on television. And in a season that's giving us Playboy bunnies, sexy stewardesses and Charlie's Freaking Angels, that's quite an accomplishment.

As you likely already know from the deluge of magazine ads, billboards and canned laughter-heavy promos, "Whitney" is about a woman who's happily unmarried to her scruffy yet adorable boyfriend. But lest you think this is some subversive takedown of biological clocks and enforced monogamy, the jokes about how a woman's "silent treatment" isn't really a punishment -- probably not. Previews for "Whitney" include -- I am not kidding -- references to Cosmopolitan magazine, cupcakes, being "whipped," and whether or not men are like cavemen. There are also references to cellulite, looking fat, her period, and what women "really mean" when they talk. As Best Week Ever exasperatedly points out, the show's campaign might as well read, "Blah blah blah shopping. Blah blah blah PMS. Blah blah blah weight issues."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/09/19/whitney_cummings_retro_sexist/feed/ 14 The Corner: All culture is devious propaganda http://www.salon.com/2011/06/17/tv_national_review/ http://www.salon.com/2011/06/17/tv_national_review/#comments Fri, 17 Jun 2011 22:30:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/news/politics//war_room/2011/06/17/tv_national_review How weird and sad life must be when viewed through the eyes of Ben Shapiro, pop-culture warrior-in-residence at the National Review. It is his job to pretend (or, good lord, actually believe) that everything that appears on your TV set -- not just the news bits, but the cartoons and toothpaste commercials and laugh-tracked situation comedies -- is part of a liberal plot to destroy the American family. Here is a fun pop culture listicle, "The Top Ten TV Dads," done the National Review way: "It’s instructive because we can see the transformation of fatherhood on television reflecting the left-wing bias against traditional family roles." Oh, can we?

Ward Cleaver is the best. Mike Brady is ok, but with a caveat: "We’re already moving into the era of alternative family structures...." It seems likely that Shapiro has never watched half these shows, but did perhaps thumb through a TV Guide or flip past Nick at Nite in the early '90s:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/06/17/tv_national_review/feed/ 98 NBC picks up four new comedies, loses “Outsourced” http://www.salon.com/2011/05/13/nbc_new_comedy_handler_bffs/ http://www.salon.com/2011/05/13/nbc_new_comedy_handler_bffs/#comments Fri, 13 May 2011 21:14:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/entertainment/tv/feature/2011/05/13/nbc_new_comedy_handler_bffs It's been a good week for "That 70's Show" alumni. First Ashton Kutcher got himself the world's sweetest gig taking over for Charlie Sheen on "Two and a Half Men," and now Laura Prepon (Donna) has just snagged the lead in one of NBC's four new comedies.

"Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea" has been adapted from Chelsea Handler's memoir into a scripted sitcom starring Prepon as Handler. So was Elizabeth Banks not available, or is there just a rule against appearing on too many NBC sitcoms in one year? Because as much as I loved her as Donna, I'm not sure Prepon can pull off Chelsea's wackiness.

Meanwhile, three other shows have been picked for the peacock's lineup, including "Free Agents," an American remake of a British comedy about the romantic lives of P.R. executives. Exciting! Hank Azaria and Kathryn Hahn star in the Americanized version along with Anthony Head (Giles from "Buffy"), who will be reprising his role from the original series.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/05/13/nbc_new_comedy_handler_bffs/feed/ 26 Can “Two and a Half Men” be saved? http://www.salon.com/2011/04/29/two_and_half_men_replacement_lorre/ http://www.salon.com/2011/04/29/two_and_half_men_replacement_lorre/#comments Fri, 29 Apr 2011 13:30:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/entertainment/tv/feature/2011/04/29/two_and_half_men_replacement_lorre Chuck Lorre may be down, but he hasn't given up: The CBS producer has supposedly been in talks with Jon Cryer about continuing "Two and a Half Men" in Charlie Sheen's absence. If the show continues, it won't be with the huge-name talent of Woody Harrelson, Jeremy Piven or Bob Saget, according to a spokesperson at Warner Bros., who confirms that none of those actors are in the running.

I'm wondering if Rob Lowe is still on this list, as he'd probably make for the best contestant to fill Sheen's shoes. Not in the same role, of course, but Rob could easily turn on the charm and carefree charisma that Sheen brought to his "Charlie" character. And what's more, the actors grew up together. (Hello, "Stories I Only Tell My Friends!")

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/04/29/two_and_half_men_replacement_lorre/feed/ 19 10 year time capsule: “That’s My Bush!” http://www.salon.com/2011/03/29/10_year_time_capsule_thats_my_bush/ http://www.salon.com/2011/03/29/10_year_time_capsule_thats_my_bush/#comments Tue, 29 Mar 2011 12:30:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/entertainment/tv/feature/2011/03/29/10_year_time_capsule_thats_my_bush Say what you will about Trey Parker and Matt Stone, but those guys have had our number for a long time. Way before they were doing feel-good musicals on Broadway about Mormons in AIDS-stricken Uganda, when "South Park" was still mostly known for its Mr. Hanky scatological humor, the satiric duo had taken on a project for Comedy Central that would be unthinkable today: a half-hour sitcom about the president, whose famous catchphrase was "One of these days, Laura, I'm going to punch you in the face!"

Oh yes, welcome to the month that was "That's My Bush."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/03/29/10_year_time_capsule_thats_my_bush/feed/ 19 Your feminist guide to fall TV http://www.salon.com/2010/05/21/fall_tv_women/ http://www.salon.com/2010/05/21/fall_tv_women/#comments Fri, 21 May 2010 12:30:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/life/broadsheet//2010/05/21/fall_tv_women The networks held their upfronts this week, that beloved dog-and-pony show that baits advertisers into thinking each new show is going to make 'em a zillion dollars. The nets trot out their big stars -- spin, spin, spin, rinse and repeat. This means it's also the time of year when I sit down and scrutinize the offerings for signs of surreptitious feminism in the form of -- gasp! -- female leads in the new lineups. I consider a show to be female-friendly if a star is a woman, or if the ensemble cast has more than two women. I know, low standards, right? 

The thing is, no matter how advanced the portrayals of women and girls on TV get, there's always the wife-mother trap that can box a female character in. Yes, wives and moms are biologically women. But wives and moms are also people, with interests beyond the parent-teacher conference or the laundry or the impact their husband's job has on their credit limits. If the wife on-screen always has a whisk or basket of clothes to fold or a shopping bag in her hands, I don't think it counts.

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