It's that time of the year again: the Sun Valley conference is here.

Like the swallows returning to Capistrano, media, business and tech moguls are hypnotically drawn to the Idaho town every year for an orgy of back-scratching (and possibly deal-making).

It's also a chance for some of the richest and most powerful to let their hair down and show off their summer wear.

One group that immediately caught the eye: the Murdochs, who descended en masse to the conference. James, Lachlan, Rupert and Wendi all turned up. The Daily Mail acidly noted that James appears to have packed on a few pounds ("Taken to the comfort food then?") in the wake of what must have been an emotionally trying year. (For some reason, the Mail removed its article from its website.) Lachlan, too, seemed to cut a less dashing and more haggard figure than the public is used to seeing from him.

Rupert Murdoch, naturally, looked as jolly as ever, sporting a series of fair-weather getups, from a very color-coordinated outfit in contrasting shades of blue (complete with matching umbrella) to a somewhat disarming shorts-and-T-shirt combination which left him looking more like a grandfather on a tourist jaunt than a billionaire media titan.

The Murdochs were far from the only bigwigs at Sun Valley, of course. Everyone from Apple's Tim Cook to the Washington Post's Don Graham to Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg turned up. Below, see some of the famous faces at this year's conference.

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  • Corporate And Media Leaders Attend Allen & Company Media And Technology Conf.

    SUN VALLEY, ID - JULY 11: James Murdoch and Lachlan Murdoch, sons of Rupert Murdoch, attend Allen & Company's Sun Valley Conference on July 11, 2011 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Since 1983, the investment firm Allen & Company has annually hosted the media and technology conference which is usually attended by powerful media executives. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

  • Lachlan Murdoch

  • Corporate And Media Leaders Attend Allen & Company Media And Technology Conf.

    SUN VALLEY, ID - JULY 11: Rupert Murdoch, chairman and CEO of News Corporation, and his son Lachlan Murdoch attend the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 11, 2011 in Sun Valley, Idaho. The conference has been hosted annually by the investment firm Allen & Company since 1983 and is typically attended by many of the world's most powerful media executives. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

  • Corporate And Media Leaders Attend Allen & Company Media And Technology Conf.

    SUN VALLEY, ID - JULY 11: Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and CEO of News Corporation, and his wife Wendi Deng Murdoch attend Allen & Company's Sun Valley Conference on July 11, 2011 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Since 1983, the investment firm Allen & Company has annually hosted the media and technology conference which is usually attended by powerful media executives. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

  • Corporate And Media Leaders Attend Allen & Company Media And Technology Conf.

    SUN VALLEY, ID - JULY 11: Rupert Murdoch, chairman and CEO of News Corporation, and his son Lachlan Murdoch attend the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 11, 2011 in Sun Valley, Idaho. The conference has been hosted annually by the investment firm Allen & Company since 1983 and is typically attended by many of the world's most powerful media executives. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

  • James Murdoch

    James Murdoch, son of Rupert Murdoch and deputy chief operating officer of News Corp., arrives at the Allen

  • Corporate And Media Leaders Attend Allen & Company Media And Technology Conf.

    SUN VALLEY, ID - JULY 11: Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and CEO of News Corporation, and his wife Wendi Deng Murdoch attend Allen & Company's Sun Valley Conference on July 11, 2011 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Since 1983, the investment firm Allen & Company has annually hosted the media and technology conference which is usually attended by powerful media executives. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

  • Corporate And Media Leaders Attend Allen & Company Media And Technology Conf.

    SUN VALLEY, ID - JULY 11: Rupert Murdoch, chairman and CEO of News Corporation, and his son Lachlan Murdoch attend the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 11, 2011 in Sun Valley, Idaho. The conference has been hosted annually by the investment firm Allen & Company since 1983 and is typically attended by many of the world's most powerful media executives. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

  • Corporate And Media Leaders Attend Allen & Company Media And Technology Conf.

    SUN VALLEY, ID - JULY 11: Designer Diane von Furstenberg and husband Barry Diller, chairman of IAC/InterActiveCorp., attend Allen & Company's Sun Valley Conference on July 11, 2011 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Since 1983, the investment firm Allen & Company has annually hosted the media and technology conference which is usually attended by powerful media executives. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

  • Corporate And Media Leaders Attend Allen & Company Media And Technology Conf.

    SUN VALLEY, ID - JULY 11: Leslie Moonves, President and CEO of CBS, attends Allen & Company's Sun Valley Conference on July 11, 2011 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Since 1983, the investment firm Allen & Company has annually hosted the media and technology conference which is usually attended by powerful media executives. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

  • Corporate And Media Leaders Attend Allen & Company Media And Technology Conf.

    SUN VALLEY, ID - JULY 10: Erin Burnett, CNN news anchor, along with her her finace, Citigroup executive David Rubulotta, arrive for the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 10, 2012 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg have been invited to attend the conference which begins Tuesday. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

  • Corporate And Media Leaders Attend Allen & Company Media And Technology Conf.

    SUN VALLEY, ID - JULY 11: Mike White, Chairman of DIRECTV, attends Allen & Company's Sun Valley Conference on July 11, 2011 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Since 1983, the investment firm Allen & Company has annually hosted the media and technology conference which is usually attended by powerful media executives. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

  • Corporate And Media Leaders Attend Allen & Company Media And Technology Conf.

    SUN VALLEY, ID - JULY 11: Designer Diane von Furstenberg and husband Barry Diller, chairman of IAC/InterActiveCorp., attend Allen & Company's Sun Valley Conference on July 11, 2011 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Since 1983, the investment firm Allen & Company has annually hosted the media and technology conference which is usually attended by powerful media executives. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

  • Corporate And Media Leaders Attend Allen & Company Media And Technology Conf.

    SUN VALLEY, ID - JULY 11: Amanda Bennett, an executive editor at Bloomberg News, and her husband, Donald Graham, CEO and Chairman of The Washington Post attend Allen & Company's Sun Valley Conference on July 11, 2011 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Since 1983, the investment firm Allen & Company has annually hosted the media and technology conference which is usually attended by powerful media executives. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

  • Corporate And Media Leaders Attend Allen & Company Media And Technology Conf.

    SUN VALLEY, ID - JULY 10: Ken Lowe, chairman of the board, president and CEO of Scripps Networks Interactive Inc., and Julia Baker, head chef and CEO of Julia Baker Confections, arrive for the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 10, 2012 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg have been invited to attend the conference which begins Tuesday. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

  • Corporate And Media Leaders Attend Allen & Company Media And Technology Conf.

    SUN VALLEY, ID - JULY 10: Joel Klein (R), CEO Education Division, News Corporation, and Kazuo Hirai, President and CEO of Sony Corporation, arrive for the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 10, 2012 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg have been invited to attend the conference which begins Tuesday. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

  • Corporate And Media Leaders Attend Allen & Company Media And Technology Conf.

    SUN VALLEY, ID - JULY 10: Jeff Bewkes, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Time Warner Inc., arrives for the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 10, 2012 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg have been invited to attend the conference which begins Tuesday. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

  • Corporate And Media Leaders Attend Allen & Company Media And Technology Conf.

    SUN VALLEY, ID - JULY 10: Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, arrives for the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 10, 2012 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg have been invited to attend the conference which begins Tuesday. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)