Singer Pat Boone is taking to the sea. Utopia Residences announced that Boone and his family have just acquired a luxury apartment onboard the new residential ocean liner, Utopia. The Utopia will circle the globe and visit cities hosting sporting and cultural events such as the Cannes Film Festival, Monte Carlo Grand Prix, The Olympics, Carnaval, Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival, Melbourne Cup and other worldwide events. Pat Boone said, "I am excited to take my family to these world class events on the world's most luxurious ship. Everyone in my family is thrilled about having future family reunions on the Utopia and traveling the world without leaving our home on the sea."

The ship has not formerly launched its international sales of its 200 residences yet. As we reported last year, the project is a $1.1 billion super cruiser being built in Korea.The 1,000-foot, 105,000-ton ship will be completed in 2013. The 200 floating apartments will range from 1,400 to 6,600 square feet and last year we heard that they had a starting price of $3.6 million. There will also be a 204-room hotel on board, a fact that makes it different from a similar concept, The World of Residensea ship which is all owned units.

Utopia Residences has opened a showroom on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills and is also selling through Douglas Elliman in New York City. The Utopia venture is being financed by a majority of New Mexico investors and the project's lead investors are the Chant and Robb families. David Robb serves as Utopia's chairman while Chris Chant is its president. Frank Carlucci, the former U.S. Secretary of Defense and co-founder of The Carlyle Group, is also involved and the project is backed by Frontier Group, a private equity firm founded by Carlucci.

Former Los Angeles Dodger first baseman Steve Garvey says he has put together an investment group interested in buying his former team, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The future of the Dodgers has been thrown into doubt since a judge threw out a post-nuptial agreement between Frank and Jamie McCourt that would have given Frank McCourt sole ownership of the Dodgers. That makes the former Mrs. McCourt half-owner of the team.

Garvey, who recently fell short of election to the Baseball Hall of Fame, did not disclose how much his group has offered for the team, or whether it would have a controlling interest, according to the report. He said he had "three to five" investors from the business and entertainment fields, but did not identify them.

Frank McCourt has said that he doesn't want to sell the team. But there is public pressure building because of the disarray the team has been in during the last two seasons. The divorce proceedings were a major distraction to running the ball club, and contributed to manager Joe Torre retiring from the job after last season.

Garvey said he would serve as the general managing partner if the bid were successful. "I think I know what it takes to put a winner on the field," he said, according to the report.

Frank McCourt's spokesman, Steve Sugerman, said McCourt wants to keep the team within his family.

"There are some great treasures out there that people would love to buy, the Dodgers among them. But, like the Mona Lisa and the Pacific Ocean, the Dodgers aren't for sale," Sugerman said, according to the report.

Dallas Mavericks owner owner Mark Cuban said a year ago that he might be interested in buying the Dodgers, having ben rebuffed in his attempts to buy the Chicago Cubs.

The sale of part of Playboy's substantial art archive took place Wednesday night at Christie's New York on December 8 in an auction titled "The Year of the Rabbit." The 125-piece offering including Dali watercolor of a reclining nude that hung in Hugh Hefner's bedroom as well as 80 photographs, many of which appeared in the magazine and more than a dozen contemporary works and 24 cartoons.

The expected top lot was an oil painting of of a scarlet-lipstick mouth by pop artist Tom Wesselmann. "Mouth No. 8" sold for nearly $1.9 million against estimates of $2 million to $3 million. The Dali watercolor sold for more than $266,000 beating estimates of $100,000 to $150,000. The sale brought in a total of $2,903,437 (including buyer's premium). Herb Ritts photographs of Stephanie Seymour, Cindy Crawford and Elle MacPherson also sold well. A Herb Davidson portrait of Hef himself sold for $6,000 against the estimate of $5,000 - $7,000.

This is the second time Christie's has sold items from Playboy. Playboy celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2003 with an auction of memorabilia and ephemera from Playboy's collection. The art represents just a small amount of the Playboy Art Collection which has an archive of 5,000 contemporary artworks and more than 20 million photographs.

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg is the one of the latest billionaires to sign on to the Giving Pledge campaign started by Bill Gates and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. The Giving Pledge calls for billionaires to pledge at least half their net worth to charity, in their lifetimes or at death.

The list of those signed on to the Giving Pledge now has 57 families. The recent batch of billionaires include AOL co-founder Steve Case, investor Carl Icahn and Michael Milken who join Larry Ellison, George Lucas and Michael Bloomberg in the ultimate big givers roll call.

"People wait until late in their career to give back. But why wait when there is so much to be done?" said Mark Zuckerberg in a press release. "With a generation of younger folks who have thrived on the success of their companies, there is a big opportunity for many of us to give back earlier in our lifetime and see the impact of our philanthropic efforts."

A full list of those taking the pledge and personal letters by many of these pledgers outlining their commitment to give is available online at www.givingpledge.org. Carl Icahn said that "until Bill, Melinda and Warren started this project, I never considered going public with my intentions. However, I certainly see the value of a project that encourages wealthy individuals to step forward and commit to use their wealth for the common good. I hope that by adding my voice with those who are supporting this project, we will all encourage others to participate."

Mark Zuckerberg's former Harvard roommate, Dustin Moskovitz, a co-founder of Facebook also signed the pledge. Earlier this fall Zuckerberg appeared on the "The Oprah Winfrey Show" promising to donate up to $100 million to public schools in Newark. Most of those signing the pledge already are involved in philanthropy and many had plans in place to donate some of their wealth.

A taupe canvas shoulder bag may not come across as the ideal winter accessory, but we had to feature this gorgeous Drawstring Shoulder Bag ($593) by Donna Karan. It features a long and slim silhouette, which I love because this bag will lay nicely against your body without unnecessary bulkiness when your carrying a few items. Multi-colored stone and metallic beading adorn the flap complementing the bag's neutral color palette. In addition to playful beading, the Drawstring Shoulder Bag is accented with leather running through the sides creating a drawstring effect and completed with a tie at the base.

Have tips or suggestions? Contact me @marsha712

Classic British outwear company Barbour is opening a new outpost in New York on Wooster St. in Soho's historic Cast Iron District. The new space will be open briefly to feature the Barbour Autumn / Winter 2010 Heritage Collection through the holidays, and will the reopen in early spring with a complete collection of Spring / Summer 2011 Barbour apparel and accessories.

"We are very excited to expand our New York presence with a new store in Soho," notes Jamie Millar, Head of Retail for Barbour Inc., North America. "The neighborhood is steeped in history and culture, but is constantly evolving and remains one of the most fashionable neighborhoods in the country. With Barbour's strong heritage and growing popularity among the fashion-forward, SoHo was a natural fit for Barbour. We are very excited to be joining such a prestigious shopping district." Other Barbour retail store locations include Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side; Portland, Maine; Boston and Washington, D.C.

About two weeks ago these incredibly cool Nike shoes came and went. 1000 pairs at $90 a pieces - with available pairs going for many times that on eBay right now. Almost out of nowhere Nike released shoes as a nod to the brand's inclusion in the Back to the Future movies (that in the future featured "high-tech" automatic lacing Nike shoes). The movie franchise also featured the ill-fated DeLorean DMC-12 car. Probably the coolest looking car of the 1980s which has been involved in rumors of a minor return for a few years now.

These Dunk 6.0 DeLorean shoes are the perfect homage to the car, and the epitome of how to do a limited edition set of shoes properly. The design of the shoes is meant to inspired the unfinished metal body of the case, complete with black seams and 80's futuristic look. The soles are clearly the car's rear lights. Beautiful. The shoe tongue says "Belfast" where the cars were originally built in the early 1980s. I wonder who exactly owns the DeLorean name rights these days? The company is still around today (located in Texas), offering parts, service, and restoration for the surviving cars.

I wonder about timing and why now. There isn't likely to be a new Back to the Future movie in the works, so maybe it is DeLorean related? Then again, Nike doesn't really need a reason to sell shoes like this. The DeLorean is a machine that needs no reintroduction in the minds of most of today's generations - and these shoes are just plain cool.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Bouchon Bakery makes delectable macarons that can be sent anywhere in the world. These cookies are the quintessential French melt-in-your mouth classics. They come in chocolate, vanilla, caramel, and pistachio as well as special holiday fillings of peppermint buttercream, rum and eggnog buttercream, and gingerbread. Large macarons are $3 each while a package of six mini are $12. To make a big hit, order at least 25. They can then be piled up in a tower in different colors and flavors to make a great holiday centerpiece; www.bouchonbakery.com; 212-823-9357.

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Florida homes can often be a mixed bag architecturally but this one seems to combine luxury with elements of classic style for a look that is undeniably lavish but still charming and livable. Part of the appeal comes from the use of curves and arches. The home is nearly 9,900 square feet of living area with a total of over 14,000 square feet total that includes an outdoor area for entertaining that has a pool crossed by a small bridge. The six-bedroom home has a large open kitchen given a rustic touch through the use of natural stone, a look that also adds interest to the master bath. The home is designed for fine living with a large wine cellar, multiple dining areas, a home theater and a library. The property has a dock with direct Gulf access and a guest house. It is listed at $7.495 million.

UPDATE: Thanks to the commenters who mentioned that I forgot to point out the specific location of this home. It's on Marco Island on the Gulf of Mexico in Collier County.

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Using their popular UN-24 "dual time" automatic movement, Ulysse Nardin released this female version of their Executive Dual Time watch. Though not perhaps inline with traditional Ulysse Nardin aesthetic, the Executive Dual Time collection has been a good seller for the Swiss brand. The dials all have have segments of mother-of-pearl, matched with various colors (such as the above watch in purple). Also note the available diamonds on the dial.

The second timezone is located "digitally" on the left of the dial. That is the second timezone hour indicator, and the minutes are read with the main minute hand. There is also a "big date" indicator and subsidiary seconds hand. Nice looking and functional right? The case is 40mm wide and available in steel or 18k rose gold. The white bezel is in ceramic, as are the pushers on the left of the case to change the second timezone. The strap is either in white rubber or alligator. The Executive Lady collection is unique in style and mixes modernity with some classic aesthetics nicely.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.