"It's been a very, very robust first half this year," boasted East Hampton broker Gary DePersia of Alan Schneider. "I think anyone who didn't go out and rent early for something special missed out on something special."

While the masses struggle with juggling the soaring price of gas and plans for a two-week summer getaway, the high-end rental market, Schneider crows, "is the best it's been in years."

Some of the celebrities staking claim on the high life for the long, hot summer include "Harry Potter" scribe J.K. Rowling, socialite Anna Anisimova and shock jock Howard Stern, who's spending a cool $600,000 to rent a Broadway producer's beachfront shack in Southampton.

Here's what the summer fireworks are all about:

$635,000 Southampton Memorial Day to Labor Day

This Cobb Road masterpiece sitting on 1.9 acres - complete with a spectacular pool - has fetched the highest Hamptons rental price this year, snagged by Russian socialite Anna Anisimova. The 21-year-old Hamptons headliner will spend the summer in the six-bedroom, brand-new traditional home, taking advantage of its game room, gym, wine cellar, tennis court and two-bedroom guesthouse.

$150,000 Bridgehampton Two weeks in August

It's not exactly Hogwarts Castle, but this massive Sagaponack traditional is big - and for two weeks in August, it's going to belong to "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling . The mastermind behind the wizarding series is renting the spectacular seven-bedroom home on Hedges Lane, giving her access to a full gym, sauna, steam room, billiard room, gourmet kitchen and two laundry rooms. The 2.9-acre property has eight full baths, three half-baths and five fireplaces, as well as two grill stations, a pool, a pool house, a tennis court and half a basketball court. If you're counting, this two-week price would add up to $900,000 for the season.

$600,000 Southampton Memorial Day to Labor Day

There goes the neighborhood. Howard Stern and his girlfriend, Beth Ostrosky, are renting out Broadway producer Terry Allen Kramer's spectacular 10,000-square-foot shingle-style home, complete with wine cellar, oceanside pool, gazebo and putting green. Practically surrounded by 350 feet of beach, there are also staff quarters, a media room and fireplaces galore in the nine-bedroom, eight-bathroom mansion. Famous neighbors George Soros and John McEnroe will have to get used to Stern's antics: The shock jock also threw down $20 million for a vacant plot of land down the street.

$450,000 Southampton Memorial Day to Labor Day

Brad Pitt slept here - well, close enough - and so could you! Described as "a great place to read a book," this English mansion owned by pianist and composer Juergen Friedrich is full of European charm, including a rose garden. The Ox Pasture Road home can be rented complete with seven bedrooms, a library, heated pool, a tennis court, an entrance hall and four fireplaces. It also has staff bedrooms and bathrooms and is furnished for the season. It's only a few minutes from the beach on almost 2 acres, and has high hedges to keep out the riffraff. Last summer, Pitt rented the former Gambino house down the block for two weeks.

$62.5 million Southampton

Future masters of the universe still have a shot at former Fortune 500 company head Linda Wachner's 8.9-acre Southampton home on celebrity-studded Meadow Lane. The 10-bedroom, 12-bathroom home overlooking the ocean and bay includes a gourmet kitchen, seaside dining room, two-story living room with English pine beams and a master bedroom with fireplace. The price tag is the highest ever in Southampton Village.

$500,000 Southampton July to Labor Day

Renters will party hearty at this oceanfront contemporary on Gin Lane, which features a top-notch Jacuzzi, indoor whirlpool and dance club with neon lights and sound system. The amazing six-bedroom, 5,500-square-foot rental - not far from Vera Wang's home - also has a tennis court, heated gunite pool, solarium and rooftop sundeck. Celebs nearby include New York Times chair Arthur Sulzberger Jr., investment banker Herbert Allen and former U.S. Ambassador to France Felix Rohatyn.

$375,000 Southampton Memorial Day to Labor Day

The bargain of the summer: This American and European contemporary with 18th-century Regency French furniture, cathedral ceilings and neutral white and beige tones hit the market as a $450,000 rental but was lowered to $375,000 three weeks ago. The six-bedroom, nine-bathroom home on Jule Pond Road, which has "open, comfortable, large rooms," according to Century 21 broker Laraine Gordon, was purchased by socialite Werner Haase for $5.5 million in 2002. It includes a formal dining room, gourmet eat-in kitchen, study, indoor and outdoor heated pools, Jacuzzi, wet bar, sitting room, all-weather tennis court and a stocked basement complete with games and a pool table.

$500,000 Amagansett Memorial Day to Labor Day

This brand-new Amagansett mansion is thisclose to the ocean, according to brokers at Brown Harris Stevens. The post-modern home on Whalers Lane - not far from two properties owned by Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker - with a gunite pool, five bedrooms, 71/2 baths, five fireplaces, decks on three sides and a gourmet kitchen. For those interested in hanging up their hats for good, the home is also for sale for $9.9 million.

$400,000 East Hampton Memorial Day to Labor Day

Want to call Jerry Seinfeld and Helmut Lang neighbors? This historic three-house compound - nestled between the two superstars' homes - is up for rent and "ideal for somebody who needs a little privacy," said owner David Tyson. The main oceanfront, 300-year-old Baker House can be rented for $275,000 by itself and has played host to Calvin Klein and Macaulay Culkin. "Schindler's List" was also edited in the building. The other two houses, which are connected, have their own apple orchard and pond with 100-foot waterfall, and can be rented for $125,000.

$25 million East Hampton

Future first ladies should proceed directly to "Lasata," the sprawling former summer home of Jackie Kennedy Onassis' paternal grandparents. The English manor-style home sits on 6.4 acres with six main bedrooms and 51/2 baths, and grand-sized public rooms that feature fireplaces. The property has a large pool and formal gardens. It's located close to the venerable Maidstone Club, where the socially conscious Bouviers had an oceanside cabana.