With the box office booming and L.A.'s hottest temperatures looming, the Hollywood elite once again ditched the West Coast this summer for some of the globe's most alluring vacation destinations.
Among them, billionaire investor Ron Perelman accompanied his favorite vacay buddy, Universal CEO Ron Meyer, on yet another yacht trip. "X Factor" creator Simon Cowell was joined by a bevy of beauties aboard his boat in the Mediterranean. And a number of other moguls toured Europe's most beautiful cities — as well as one of Africa's most-treasured landscapes.
Also read: Moguls on a Boat 2012: How the Bigwigs Spent Their Summer Vacations
See what high seas Perelman, Meyer, Cowell, Barry Diller, Steven Spielberg and more explored while spending oceans of money to do so:
WHO: Harvey Weinstein, Howard Schultz
WHERE: The Weinstein Company head and Starbucks CEO yachted it up on the Greek island of Mykonos.
STATUS: While Schultz has been sitting pretty atop his ever-expanding coffee empire, Weinstein has had anything but a relaxing summer spending the better part of July in an MPAA arbitration that ended with him changing the title of "The Butler" to "Lee Daniels' The Butler." Nothing like a Venti Caramel Macchiato to drown your sorrows.
Also read: Did 'Lee Daniels' The Butler' Just Kick Off the Oscar Race?
WHO: Ron Perelman, Ron Meyer, Irving Azoff, Jean Pigozzi
WHERE: Perelman and Meyer, boat buddies for the fourth year in a row, joined Azoff on Pigozzi's yacht, the Amazon Express, sailing the Mediterranean off the coast of Nice.
STATUS: Universal studio chief Meyer has a lot to toast to with his friends this summer. Seven of nine Universal releases have opened No. 1 at the box office. And Azoff is still in an unusually relaxed state eight months after resigning as CEO of Live Nation.
Also read: The Ari Emanuel Vs Irving Azoff Emails: 'I Keep Grudges for a Lifetime' (Exclusive)
WHO: Steven Spielberg, Kate Capshaw
WHERE: Italy. The three-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker whisked his wife and family away to Portofino, where they toured the fishing village by land and sea.
STATUS: While Hollywood deals tend to take a downturn in the summer season, Spielberg has been particularly busy making and breaking projects. In May he announced a live-action "Halo" series, then began eyeing a new movie version of "The Grapes of Wrath" in July. In August, the DreamWorks exec dropped out of directing Bradley Cooper in "American Sniper" and set up a new sci-fi series at CBS. Good reason not to phone home while on the high seas.
Also read: CBS Grabs Steven Spielberg’s Sci-Fi Thriller ‘Extant,’ Seeking Next 'Under the Dome'
WHO: Ryan Seacrest with Dominique Piek
WHERE: South of France. The "American Idol" host cruised the French Riviera aboard a yacht with his new model girlfriend.
STATUS: Although Seacrest appears to have found new love after breaking up with Julianne Hough in the spring, the budding media mogul has had a bittersweet summer. Just two days after he was named executive producer and host of NBC's "Million Second Quiz," Ryan Seacrest Productions was dragged into the Kardashian clan's conflict with Ellen Kardashian, Kim's widowed stepmother, who is suing over alleged defamation. Seacrest out.
Also read: Kardashians' Stepmom Sues Family and Ryan Seacrest Productions: 'They Defamed Me!'
WHO: Ryan Kavanaugh
WHERE: Maui, Hawaii. Whether by boat, land or surfboard, the Relativity Media CEO is enjoying fun in the sun in America's most tropical state.
STATUS: Kavanaugh has released fewer hits than misses this year, but could still strike Oscar gold with the upcoming "Out of the Furnace." And now that the L.A. County Sheriff's office has cleared him of impeding the manhunt for cop-killer Christopher Dorner, he can focus on building a better 2014.
Also read: Sheriff Dept.'s Claim Against Ryan Kavanaugh Is 'Politically Motivated,' Says Studio
WHO: Peter Guber, Pat Riley
WHERE: Africa. Guber joined the Miami Heat president and his wife, Chris, at at Paul Tudor Jones' Grumeti Reserves in Tanzania's Western Serengeti.
STATUS: While Guber's NBA team, the Golden State Warriors, fell early in the playoffs, Riley is celebrating yet another championship season. Guber may have better luck in the fall, though, as the Los Angeles Dodgers are leading the National League West by 7.5 games.
WHO: Bill Gates
WHERE: Norway. The richest man in the world took his family to explore the European constitutional monarchy, where they briefly visited Haakon, the Crown Prince of Norway, who was vacationing nearby in Kristiansand.
STATUS: Gates hasn't been CEO of Microsoft since 2000, but rumors have been floating around that the still-chairman will resume CEO duties after the dismal sales of its new tablet, the Surface. (Of course, the company denies it.) Get your rest now, Bill.
WHO: Magic Johnson, Samuel L. Jackson with respective wives Earlitha Kelly and LaTanya Richardson
WHERE: Italy. The duo doubled-dated their way through the Island of Capri, and explored the surrounding sea on a chartered yacht.
STATUS: Johnson is also an owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers — a team Jackson is known to throw his celebrity support behind — so one can assume there was mutual excitement when discussing the prospect of the L.A. winning its first World Series in 25 years.
See video: Samuel L. Jackson Does 'Breaking Bad' Monologue for Alzheimer's
WHO: Simon Cowell and his usual bevy of bikini babes, including ex-girlfriend Sinitta, ex-fiancée Mezghan Hussainy, TV presenter Terri Seymour, and Cowell's senior producer Kelly Bergantz, who brought her sister, Jamie.
WHERE: Cruising the Mediterranean on his $73 million, 196.9 foot luxury yacht, Slipstream.
STATUS: Cowell's got his hands full this year between the U.S. and UK versions of his singing competition, "X Factor," as well as debunking his new reputation as a homewrecker after knocking up his (former) friend Andrew Silverman's wife, Lauren. 'X Factor UK' judges Gary Barlow, Nicole Scherzinger, Louis Walsh and Sharon Osbourne were previously planning to board his massive vessel to film segments for the show, but that plan has reportedly been scrapped since the world learned of Cowell's baby-mama drama.
WHO: Barry Diller
WHERE: Sailing around the boot of Italy aboard his 305-foot private yacht, Eos.
STATUS: Diller's IAC, which controls dozens of internet-based media companies like Vimeo and CollegeHumor, bested expectations last month when it reported revenue rose 23 percent to $799.4 million. In more good news for the media mogul, networks have failed to prevent Aereo from streaming live-television to subscribers, and the company is launching the service in three more major markets this September.
Also read: Aereo Lawsuit: Networks Seek Re-Hearing After Appeals Court Setback