Bravo should cancel 'Princesses: Long Island' in wake of Ielpi insult

That's how Newsday's remembrance of Jonathan Ielpi begins in the paper's tribute to the fallen; the profile, published not long after his death, added a few more details:

Now, last week's episode of "Princesses: Long Island": [Update: Please see note below] Cast member Amanda Bertoncini is conducting a photo shoot at the site of Ielpi's statue -- Great Neck Plaza, AKA Grace Avenue Park, AKA "Jon's Park," which memorializes not just Ielpi but other Great Neck residents killed on 9/11. She and her photographer friend, Ilton, direct the model to pucker up next to the statue -- "Now kiss the fireman, and try to feed him the beer, and wipe it off and act like scared... awesome..."

I know this not because of the news reports, the outrage expressed by Ielpi's family, the fury of the FDNY -- all of it fully justified. I know because the scene is still being replayed, over and over again on the episode, for anyone to see who tunes into the On Demand version.

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It's right there -- even though Amanda Bertoncini has apologized via Twitter, and Bravo has promised that the offending scene would be removed; there was on-air mea culpa last (and again, a promise to remove the offending scene.) Don't take my word for it; go ahead and watch. It's been there all week.

So what gives with this? Honestly, I can only imagine that only one thing gives: Bravo and "Princesses," know exactly what they are doing -- the long list of insults to Long Island, to Jews and now to the FDNY, and to a fallen member -- a young fireman who died on 9/11. Show and network know exactly what they are doing -- manufacture fury so as to manufacture ratings.  "Princesses" has now crossed the line of "craven" to some place that doesn't even really have a word -- but the word would be very bad, almost certainly unprintable here.  These are now officially wanton apologies --engineered for the press and for publicity, for it is written that no publicity is bad publicity.

What to do? The right thing of course: End this show. End it now. Not another week. Not another day. Not another apology -- not another vacant empty remorseless utterance.

From Sunday night: "Bravo deeply regrets the inclusion of a scene disrespecting a 9/11 hero in last week’s episode. We have removed the footage from the program. Our thoughts are with those who lost their lives on 9/11."

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There's really nothing left to say -- even especially with the offending scene still there for everyone to see. Just end it now. In my many years of covering TV, I've never once called for the cancellation of a series -- audiences ultimately take care of that for me. But this seems patently different for some very obvious reason, too obvious to spell out. Jonathan Ielpi, 29, of Great Neck, who died on Sept. 11, 2001-- who died alongside 342 other fireman that day -- left behind a family, and friends, and colleagues -- and a town. He deserves this. They deserve this.

Ironically enough, last week's episode began with that famous line (from Colossians): "Who ever can stop wrongdoing, but doesn't, will be punished."

I wonder if Bravo is listening. I wonder.