John Katsilometes on why Engelbert Humperdinck has taken such an interest in the medical progress of Irwin Dorsey, an usher at the Bellagio

Monday, June 12, 2006 | 7:21 a.m.

Irwin Dorsey is an usher at the O Theatre at the Bellagio. On May 25 he underwent emergency surgery to have a tumor removed from his brain.

The operation lasted nine hours, and the tumor was as large as an orange. Doctors said it had been growing for 40 years. But Dorsey, lucky to be alive after such invasive surgery on his brain, is recovering nicely at Sunrise Hospital. (In fact, he's occupying the same rehabilitation room once used by Jerry Lewis.)

Through this ordeal, Dorsey has been receiving daily phone calls from famed crooner Engelbert Humperdinck, even as Humperdinck has been winding through Australia on a lengthy concert tour.

Humperdinck has also sent messages of gratitude to the physician who headed the surgical team, Dr. Keith Blum, and has asked friends and fans in Las Vegas to pray for Dorsey's full recovery.

Why would Humperdinck be so interested in this particular case?

He and Dorsey are brothers.

Humperdinck was born Arnold George Dorsey in Leicester, England, one of 10 children (seven sisters, three brothers). He and Irwin are close in age, with Irwin (age 71) older than Engelbert (who turned 70 on May 2).

Irwin turns 72 on July 20. In a happy coincidence, that's the date Engelbert is set to return to Vegas for a set of dates at the Orleans Showroom. He has sent word through friends in Las Vegas that he is looking forward to a long-awaited reunion with his mending sibling.

NoteMart

Trump-date: The latest from Donald Trump is that he is teaming with game-maker Hasbro to bring a live version of Monopoly to network television. The likely host city would be Atlantic City (the city the original board game is based on) but Trump is said to be in favor of touring the show around to Las Vegas, Chicago, New York, Miami and other metropolitan sites.

Also, Tower I of Trump International is almost completely sold out, dealmaker Jack Wishna reports (last week prominent New York attorney Richard Dubi visited the Trump sales office on the Strip and walked out the owner of a three-bedroom penthouse priced at $6.4 million). A media event is being planned to announce the details of the ahead-of-schedule Trump International Tower II project (the original plan was to start selling in January 2007). The date for that event might be June 30, as plenty of media will already be in Vegas for the gala opening of "Love" at the Mirage ...

Glass-action suit: Renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly, whose work graces the ceiling of the Bellagio lobby and hangs from the Nevada Cancer Institute building at 10441 W. Twain Ave., is entangled in a legal battle against two other artists - Bryan Rubino and Robert Kaindl - whom he is accusing of trademark infringement. As a result, Rubino and Kaindl have filed countersuits against Chihuly, claiming the techniques and forms used by Chihuly have been around for generations.

Chihuly's initial suit was brought in October. As reported Sunday by The New York Times, Rubino worked under Chihuly for about 20 years at Chihuly's studio in Tacoma, Wash. Rubino, said to be an excellent glass blower, then went off on his own and for a time was still being retained as a freelancer by Chihuly (who stopped blowing his own glass after losing an eye in 1976 and then suffering a shoulder injury in a surfing incident three years later).

But that relationship soured, and Rubino went to work for Kaindl. The work Rubino did for Kaindl is said to bear a striking resemblance to work authorized and signed by Chihuly, who views the pieces as knockoffs being sold at Chihuly-worthy prices ...

Something for Joey: Competitive eater Joey Chestnut continues to build his reputation as a rising star in the world of competitive eating. On Saturday he wolfed down 47 grilled cheese sandwiches in 10 minutes to set a world record for ... for eating grilled cheese sandwiches really rapidly, I guess. The old record was 36.

Chestnut's feat, accomplished during the Arena Bowl XX "Fan Fest" at the Thomas & Mack Center, gave him the title of GoldenPalace.net World Grilled Cheese Eating Champion ...

Water world: The first of two CineVegas screenings for the film "Wet Dreams" is set for 8:30 tonight at Brenden Theatres at the Palms. This is the film starring Rebecca Romijn, Steve Wills, Jerry O'Connell, Jim Fuller and Peter Kopik that centers on friends attempting to choreograph a show at the Bellagio fountains. The film screens again at 3 p.m. Tuesday ...

Elmer's truckin'?: A reader noted a silver and purple Ford F-150 (a popular make for vanity plate sightings) with the plate TWUCK N.