ACTUALLY, IT'S HIS EGO THAT'S 'INVINCIBLE'.

Byline: David Kronke TV Critic

Honestly, has it never occurred to Michael Jackson - or any of his timorous phalanx of hangers-on who might slip a note into the JackCo suggestion box - just how unseemly it is to aggressively participate in one's own tribute?

The self-ordained King of Pop has again thrust himself all over pop culture, with a new CD (``Invincible,'' which reportedly cost $30 million to make - it probably would've been cheaper to simply mail free demos to the folks who still care), a threatened charity single and a poorly organized benefit concert in Washington, D.C.

But the self-adulation of ``Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration'' will no doubt leave jaws dropped in living rooms throughout America. There are, no doubt, many entertainment industry egomaniacs who think about staging brazenly gaudy tributes to themselves, but only Michael Jackson has the gall to do it.

In a special taped in early September at Madison Square Garden, a bunch of hip, hip-hop and once-hip acts cover MJ's tunes, then genuflect to the master, who surveys his kingdom and acknowledges their efforts with a curious passivity.

Amid the music is footage of him visiting ailing kids (alas, no footage of him laying on his hands and healing them) and hanging with world leaders and other luminaries. We're told his videos are ``works of art'' and that he's a ``true aesthetic pioneer'' and that ``Michael moves with flawless precision.''

Liz Taylor calls him ``a man of dignity'' and Chris Tucker declares him ``the greatest entertainer who ever lived.'' The hubris on display here makes the braggadocio of your average rapper seem like the simpering of a wallflower.

Jackson, still a charismatic performer, takes the stage for the finale, running through his hits ``Bad,'' ``Beat It'' and ``Billie Jean.'' His fans are shown not just having a good time; they're in a state of religious ecstasy. Viewers at home are excused for not empathizing.

``MICHAEL JACKSON: 30TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION''

What: Shameless King of Pop tribute.

The stars: Michael Jackson, Usher, Marc Anthony, Destiny's Child, Mya, 'N Sync, Elizabeth Taylor, Slash, Luther Vandross, Rah Digga, Gloria Estefan, Shaggy, Samuel L. Jackson, a sliver of Whitney Houston, Liza Minnelli, Chris Tucker.

Where: CBS (Channel 2).

When: 9 tonight.

Our rating: Two stars

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Photo:

Michael Jackson, center, performs with his brothers, the Jacksons, for the first time in almost 20 years on his 30th anniversary special tonight on CBS.