VIDEO REVIEW : Ego-Tripping With ‘Michael Jackson: The Legend’

Michael Jackson is the greatest, Michael Jackson is the greatest, Michael Jackson is the greatest. . . .

Enough already!

That message, in one form or another, is shoved down viewers’ throats in the singer’s new video, “Michael Jackson . . . The Legend Continues” (Vestron, $15.98), which arrives in the stores Wednesday.

A better name for this Motown Productions tape would be “Michael Jackson . . . The Hype Continues.”

Don’t get me wrong. Jackson is a great singer and performer. But why does he keep telling us this himself? As co-executive producer of this tape, which was originally shown last year on the Showtime cable channel, Jackson had control over the content. Obviously, he opted to let his egomania run rampant.

“The Legend Continues” is a one-hour documentary--narrated by James Earl Jones--that details Jackson’s rise from the early-’70s Jackson 5-mania to solo superstardom in the ‘80s.

Parts of it are fascinating, particularly the tapes of the Jackson 5’s guest appearances on TV variety shows starring Cher, Ed Sullivan, Jim Nabors and Diana Ross. The clips remind us how good Jackson was as a pre-pubescent performer. Was there ever a better 11-year-old pop-soul singer?

The second half isn’t as much fun. It’s loaded with interviews with stars such as Katharine Hepburn, Gene Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor and Sophia Loren making embarrassingly fawning statements about Jackson.

The video includes no negatives or insights into what makes Jackson tick. If you’re wondering how a nice little kid turned into a bizarre, reclusive superstar, you won’t find the answers in “The Legend Continues.”