Planning a trip to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, B.C. this February? If you're quick you might still be able to snag one of the 96 rooms at the Opus Vancouver, the city's top luxury boutique hotel. Located in historic and fashionable Yaletown steps away from the inner harbor, the Opus has played host to a long list of A-listers including Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, Zac Efron, Janet Jackson, R.E.M., and The Pussycat Dolls, to name a few. The lavish rooms boast five different décor schemes to suit every taste, ranging from modern and minimalist to artful and eclectic, with comfort and style as the unifying elements. In addition to standard amenities, luxuries for guests include Frette bathrobes, L'Occitane bath products, an in-room oxygen dispenser and complimentary transportation within the downtown area via the hotel's luxe 7-Series BMWs. The penthouse suites feature wrap-around balconies, floor-to-ceiling windows, and double-sided fireplaces; all suites have a wet bar, while the hotel also features a fine French bistro, Elixir, as well as the Opus Bar, voted "Vancouver's Most Popular Nightspot" by the Zagat Survey.

Another sad tale of a former athlete facing financial woes has surfaced. Cindy Brown is an Olympic gold medal-winning basketball player who also played in the WNBA and around Europe. Now the former player is losing her fight to keep her Southern California home, a home she bought way back in 1989 in the town of Villa Park.

The talented player was an All-American at Long Beach State( the 60 points she scored against San Jose State in 1987 remains the NCAA record for most points scored in a single game) and a member of USA Basketball's team that won the gold in Seoul in 1988. Although she made good money as a player, as the OC Register points out, she would have made far more if she was a male player. Because there was no professional team in the United States back then she played in France, Italy, Israel, Japan and Spain, usually earning more than $100,000 a year. In 1996, Brown took a pay cut to come back to the United States and play in the American Basketball League. Later she played for the WNBA's Detroit Shock and in Utah before retiring in 2000.

Starting last year, locals began to complain to the city that Brown was not maintaining the yard on her five-bedroom home. Brown tells the OC Register that her neighbors made false assumptions about her and did not like the fact that she is African American and a lesbian. She also said that she was unable to take care of the lawn because she had lost over $1 million in a real estate scam and was on the brink of foreclosure. She has been selling everything she can and has been trying to find work but earlier this summer the Villa Park City Council declared Cindy Brown's house a public nuisance. In July, city workers took over and put drought-tolerant plants in Brown's front yard at a cost of $5,500. The city obtained a warrant to come and water the property and the total city bill for fixing Brown's lawn eventually came to $12,516.

Brown has said that the city and local authorities refused to help her and has filed a civil suit, listing 100 defendants. Earlier this week the city approved putting a lien on Brown's property. Brown says her home, which is listed with an estimate debt of more than $910,000, is scheduled to be auctioned this weekend.

We just ended an Olympic summer but tickets are already on sale for the next Olympics, the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. A company called CoSport is selling hospitality packages that include guaranteed access to tickets and hotels. Getting in early will cost you, the cheapest package for two people is $3,800 Canadian and you could pay far more depending on your choice of hotel, transportation and add-ons to round out your Olympic experience. Ordering a hospitality package gets you entrance to the events you want to see rather than going through a potential lottery process. Phase 1 of the individual ticket sales process began October 3 and ends November 7. Residents of Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Sweden, United States, countries within the European Union and European Economic Zone will be able to purchase tickets for use during the Games through CoSport but high demand events may fill up necessitating a random selection process. The 1300 packages however are first-come, first-serve. Jean-Paul Modde, the president of CoSport, told the Canadian Press that sales are excellent so far and that they will sell out.

Omega, the Official Timekeeper of the Olympic Games, is auctioning off a one-of-a-kind limited edition watch set in a bespoke black walnut trunk (above) that's expected to fetch up to $1.5 million. Known as the Unique No. 8 Collection and based on the Chinese concept of "lucky number 8", the rare and unique item is being offered at Sotheby's in Hong Kong today, with proceeds going to The Chinese Athletes Educational Foundation (CAEF).

The set is comprised of the eighth numbered piece of each of the 32 Limited Edition wristwatches in the Omega Beijing Olympic Collection, plus three Olympic Split Seconds Chronograph 1932 pocket watches, also numbered 008 in their limited editions of 100 pieces. The watches, including a set of split seconds open-faced chronographs in 18k yellow, white and red gold, are presented in a striking black walnut pagoda-style eight-drawer tower with intricate carving and a lacquered finish, paying homage to traditional Chinese architecture. Truly the ultimate Olympic collector's item.

He may be beaming in the picture above but Olympic swimmer Brendan Hansen wasn't too happy recently when he found that his gold medal had gone missing. Hansen, who won the gold in the 4x100m medley relay, found that his medal was missing after he flew from Philadelphia to Austin, Texas. His medal was looked at by security personnel at Philadelphia International Airport but it was reportedly put back in the bag. Hansen put the bag under the seat in front of him on the plane and fell asleep. The plane had a layover in Nashville and then Hansen found the medal was missing after he landed in Texas.

MyFox Philadelphia reports that a passenger on board the flight found the medal on the floor of the plane and called the FBI. Now Hansen and his medal will be happily reunited although I suspect he might keep it a bit closer next time he travels.

To celebrate the 2008 Beijing Olympics, jeweler Roberto Coin has created a few unique pieces including a $31,000 golden sneaker. The sneaker is made of 24 karat gold varnished nappa leather which is then coated with a PVC lacquered film. It is finished off with an 18K yellow gold clasp and Coin's signature small ruby.

Coin has also created a gold boxing glove pendant for $620, an 18K white gold panda with diamonds and black sapphires for $1,580 and a diamond pave peace necklace for $520.

The Olympics is always a big deal and this year the event seems more spectacular than ever, and as always there is no shortage of Olympic-themed goodies and gadgets. One group of such gadgets would be these limited edition USB flash drives created by the Chinese company Lenovo. Ranging in price from $199-$980 there's one set that's made of some of the same material as the Olympic torch, one set shaped like medallions on a chain, one set that features a Chinese mascot, and one sleek silver set that comes in a special mahogany box. And of course all the sets also feature the official logo of the Beijing Olympics.

If you're interested in getting one of these themed drives you better hurry because they're selling out quick -- the "medallion" ones are already gone.

$80 billion private equity firm The Carlyle Group just announced plans to acquire a 48% stake in Moncler, the French luxury sport label founded in 1952 famed for its stylish down jackets. In fact, Moncler claims credit for inventing the down-filled ski jacket, which it has supplied to French Olympic teams for the winter games since the 1960s. The jackets have become extremely fashionable and can be seen on the slopes from Aspen to Gstaad. The company has collaborated with the likes of Balenciaga, Yohji Yamamoto and Fendi. It's high-end Gamme Rouge line is designed by Italian fashionista Giambattista Valli. "Moncler is a historic sport luxury garment brand that has returned to play a relevant and prestigious role in the market," Carlyle Group managing director Marco De Benedetti said in a statement, noting plans for expanding the company globally.

Ralph Lauren's 2008 Olympics Collection from his Polo line, to be worn by American athletes at the summer games in Beijing next month, is now available in stores. Lauren designed the official Opening Ceremony and Closing Ceremony parade outfits as well as an assortment of Olympic "village wear" pieces for the U.S. Teams, which anyone may now purchase. The Summer Olympics in Beijing run from Aug. 8 - 24th. Lauren's patriotic, logo-festooned red, white and blue designs are "inspired by the rich past of the Olympic Games and in keeping with the time-honored tradition of this historic event." Visit Lauren's site here for more and check out the gallery to see athletes modeling the collection.

While workers put the finishing touches on buildings for the Olympics, Beijing hotels are dropping prices hoping to fill empty rooms for the celebration. Many hotels had raised rates hoping for a huge tourism leap before the Games, which start on August 8. The AFP reports that three- and four-star hotels are cutting prices by 20 percent or more. Five star hotels seem to be faring best, earlier this month the Beijing municipal tourism bureau said that they were 70 percent booked while four-star hotels bookings during the Olympics stood at 44 percent and rates for three-star hotels were even lower.

I remember back in 1980, my mother got a Misha bear, the mascot of the Moscow Olympics. Fast forward to this year's Olympics in Beijing and a new more expensive and more fabulous bear, the Gucci leather panda which sells for $1,050. The bear is part of the Gucci 8-8-2008 Limited Edition designed by Gucci creative director Frida Giannini. The collection of eight pieces, of course, includes the new $1,415 I-Gucci watch, the company's first digital watch, which is already on their website. Other special Gucci Limited Edition items include a $3,420 bicycle, a $3,150 Mahjong set covered in red La Pelle Guccissima leather, a pair of $660 men's and women's sports shoes, a $445 sterling silver and enamel necklace inspired by military tags, and two pieces of luggage in La Pelle Guccissima, a leather duffle for $2,795 and a $995 leather messenger bag.

Those at China's Olympics can keep in touch with a gold phone. Samsung will make a special 18-carat gold-plated mobile phone in China to celebrate the Olympics in Beijing. The P318 phone will be black with gold trim and gold along the bottom half of its back. The phone will only be sold in China and no launch date has been set yet.

The news was all abuzz about the Austrian drug raid yesterday but another illegal substance has also caused a controversy. According to the Moscow Times, the Russian Olympic delegation in Turin has been enjoying black caviar brought in from Russia. Sturgeon caviar is now banned worldwide and transportation of the caviar is against the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. The Russians, eager to celebrate their Olympic success, had 25 to 100 kilograms  (55 to 200 pounds)of black caviar shipped to Turin. The Russian luxury goods company Bosco di Ciliegi, the delegation's sponsor, said they did bring the caviar but insists that there was no wrongdoing. I know it's illegal but I have to feel for the Russians, after all, what is a party without caviar?

Swatch has created a new collection that celebrates the Olympic Winter Games 2006 in Turin in February. The watches are designed to appeal to skiers and snowboarders. This model, the Annelli e Stelle is part of the Skin collection. The design is inspired by the Turin 2006 emblem and has a polished steel bracelet and silver-colored hour and minute hand. This watch sells for  £48.94 (around $86). You can see other models at the Moodie Report.