Date of Birth: October 16, 1973

Best Known For: Standing on a surfboard and riding moving pieces of water

Local Spot: Seaside Reef

My Crew: CG, Swift, Garner aka "Black Cloud"

Board of Choice: Love'm all. You got to. Every day I wake up, I think about riding a different board. My latest fav is this new Bisquit/Robber thing. We haven't named it yet but it’s really cute. 5'3.5" Fast... and cuts like a knife

Dream Wave: Somewhere in Indonesia. Long, hollow fast left. Shallow...

Rob's new film opens to capacity crowd at historic La Paloma Theatre

Rob Machado premiered his latest project, Melali: The Drifter Sessions, at La Paloma in Encinitas on Thursday night. Needless to say, it was to a packed house. This wasn't your average surf premiere at the iconic North County theatre, as Rob, John Swift, Todd Hannigan and band provided a live soundtrack to the film as it played. Also, in an effort to ensure every seat was filled for the 7:30 and 9:00 o'clock shows, the first hundred people through the door received autographed posters from Rob. Check out a few photos from the evening below:

Machado takes in a stage of the Tour de France with the Nike Livestrong team.

You might have seen the highlights on Sportscenter. Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck dodging sheep and wading through fog banks as they dueled it out in the Pyrenees during one of the final stages of this year's Tour de France. Among the thousands of cycling-crazed fans who line the road to the finish was our own Rob Machado. Check out his first impressions of the Tour in this quick update from abroad:

"Had an amazing day yesterday checking out the Tour de France. Went by the Radio Shack bus before the start of the race, and hooked up with Lance for a few minutes before he pedaled up a giant mountain. He told me he was "a little tired"... I don't blame him. He's been on his bike for just over 83 hours in the past 23 days. After lance split we bolted up to the top of the Col du Tourmalet, almost 7000 feet up. Kinda weird when you've gotta ride a chair lift to get to the finish line. Pretty amazing place, and a lot of diehard Euros up there braving out the cold.

Rob and Lance chatting it up pre-race. (Photo: Pete Santamaria)

"The (Nike) Livestrong team escorted me around the entire day, and took care of me like no other.  Special thanks. They're doing an amazing job. Took them all surfing in Hossegor this morning on their way to Bordeaux. They were stoked to break away from the tour for a minute. - RM"

Rob Machado explains what his new film is all about

Rob Machado and Taylor Steele’s The Drifter was a box office hit. However, the cinematic phenomenon could not fit in all of the surfing that took place throughout the filming process. The Drifter focused more on the lifestyle and story of Rob’s trip more than the high performance surfing. So, if you need more action (or all action) in your surf movies, Rob’s new Melali – The Drifter Sessions is right up your alley. This new masterpiece showcases Rob and friends surfing some great waves throughout the Indonesian Islands. The film is available on DVD and on ITunes July 2010.

HURLEY.COM: CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO US WHAT YOUR NEW MOVIE IS AND WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT?
ROB MACHADO: The new flick is called Melali – The Drifter Sessions. We decided to make Melali when we realized that we had so much footage left over from The Drifter. We didn't want our footage going to waste, especially since a lot of it was with some amazing surfers. So in a nutshell, it’s footage of my friends, who put in some serious water time for me, from all of our sessions that didn't make it into The Drifter. We also decided to record a soundtrack for it.

HOW DID YOU GUYS COME UP WITH THE IDEA FOR THIS MOVIE?
When we did the premiers for The Drifter we were also playing some bonus footage at the end of the movie. And by the end of the tour, we were playing a live soundtrack to the bonus footage. So, from there, that stemmed the idea of putting together all the leftover footage and making another flick and then scoring it.

HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM THE DRIFTER?
It’s very different. This movie is geared more towards your hard-core surf fan. No story line, just a lot of good surfers surfing really great waves to some groovy tunes.

WHO HELPED PUT IT TOGETHER AND MAKE IT ALL HAPPEN?
We kept our crew pretty tight on this one. Taylor [Steele] and I worked on the edits, while Jon Swift was in charge of the music.

WAS ALL OF THE SURFING IN THIS MOVIE SHOT DURING THE MAKING OF THE DRIFTER?
Yes, it was just all the leftovers from The Drifter.

WHO ELSE IS IN THE MOVIE?
Dane Reynolds, Kelly Slater, Kalani Robb, Dan Malloy, Mike Losness, Rizal Tanjung, Marlon Gerber, Ace Buchan and a few others. Ryan Hurley gets a bomb...biggest wave of the trip.

HOW IS IT TRAVELING WITH THOSE GUYS?
Everybody was great. I was really zoned in on the Drifter. So I was in a different place...not a bad place, but probably different than what we are used to. But it was all good. I was stoked to have such a good crew of guys to surf with and push me.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE MELALI – THE DRIFTER SESSIONS MOVIE TOUR?
Working on it right now…

ANY NEW PROJECTS IN THE WORKS?
Can’t talk about those yet. Top secret.

For more on Rob Machado and his new flick, go here.

Team Hurley (+Tom Curren) wins the surf division while Switchfoot rocks in front of 10,000 — all for a noble cause. Videos and Photos: PK

WPS All Stars chosen for the US Open of Surfing

We already called it in Friday's breakdown, but the 2010 WPS All Stars have been chosen for the US Open of Surfing this August. Along with go-to heroes like Kelly, Rob, Andy, Mick, Taj, Dane and Jordy, we also saw the addition of relatively fresh faces like Clay Marzo and Julian Wilson. All of the 10 surfers will now receive invites to the All Star ceremony and to participate in the US Open of Surfing. Judging from what went down last year, we're only getting started with the only All Star event in surfing. Can you say, "slam dunk" at the HB Pier?

Check the full results below. Thanks to everyone who made their voices heard.

Check Surfline's article here, and stay tuned to hurley.com for a confirmed list of WPS All Star surfers.

Rob, Ace, Brett, Conner and Mitch Crews have a free-for-all. Video: Tom Aiello

Pick your favorites while there's still time. Make it the highlight of your weekend. 

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. – Friday, June 17, 2010 With three days left to vote for your favorite surfers and already thousands of voters deciding who will face off in the anticipated expression sessions, the 2010 WPS All-Stars Showdown is heating up. Last year’s event saw incredible performances from the world’s best, and this year is shaping up to be even more exciting. Help decide who will make the cut at www.usopenofsurfing.com.

HERE IS THE CURRENT TOP 10:
1. Dane Reynolds (USA)
Dane is one the world’s most exciting and popular surfers, so it’s not surprising to see him at the top of the leader board. His flawless mix of power surfing with new-age aerial shenanigans can likely steal the show.

2. Kelly Slater (USA)
He’s a soon-to-be 10-time ASP World Champion…what more is there to say?

3. Jordy Smith (RSA)
The South African prodigy is sure to turn heads in front of the biggest stadium surfing has ever seen. He’ll show us why he is currently ranked No. 2 on the ASP World Tour.

4. Clay Marzo (HAW)
You never know what will happen when Clay takes to the water. Don’t believe us? Check out Clay demolishing an unsuspecting lip on the cover of Surfing Magazine’s August Issue here.

5. Rob Machado (USA)
The stylemaster himself. Believe it or not, Rob doesn’t spend all his time inside the dredging left-handers of Indonesia. Come watch him tear Huntington to pieces as he aims for his fourth US Open Title in the ASP Prime Event.

6. Julian Wilson (AUS)
One of the top young surfers from Down Under, Julian will take to the skies to show Huntington what a proper air looks like.

7. Taj Burrow (AUS)
Look for the ASP’s current No. 3 to showcase his skills and prove to spectators that a world title is still only a matter of time.

8. Mick Fanning (AUS)
How could you not watch the defending world champ take the stage against the world’s best surfers? Mick will put on a clinic using his signature combination of power and speed.

9. Andy Irons (HAW)
After a solid 3rd place showing at the Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro last month, three-time ASP World Champ, Andy Irons, is a definite threat to soak up the spotlight in the WPS All-Star Showdown. AI is back in championship form.

10. Dusty Payne (HAW)
Dusty’s surfing is pleasing to the eye, whether it be Pipe bombs or rippable beachbreak. The ASP World Tour rookie and free surfing phenom currently rounds out the top ten surfers slated for the WPS All-Stars event.

Who’s missing? Who should be bumped off? You decide. Pick from surfing’s best while voting is still open at www.usopenofsurfing.com. —Phil Bannan

Rob, Ace, Yadin and Brett do some RandD on the Bukit Peninsula. Video: Tom Aiello

The "surfing deity" gives Gossip Girl's Blake Lively a surf lesson

Rob made the big time. At least in the fashion circles he did. And while Machado may have never seen Gossip Girl or is as casual about a Mario Testino Vogue shoot as he is at 6- to 8-foot Pipeline, it IS the big time. For him. For surfing. For Hurley. Here are just a couple of spreads from the June issue shoot with Blake Lively on the cover.

Be sure to go here for the full story on vogue.com.

For the Behind the Scenes video on vogue.com, go here.

The winner of our "Upgrade Your Boardshorts" Event No. 2 is announced at Surfside Sports. Photos: Beau Roulette. Video: Edd Flynn

Two in, three to go. That's today's talk around the water cooler as 26-year-old Chris Palombo bought the lucky pair of Phantoms with Nike Flywire at Surfside Sports on Saturday. The second of our "Upgrade Your Boardshorts" events, Surfside Sports proved to be another great venue for food, folks and Phantoms.

Rob Machado, Brett Simpson, Bob Burnquist, Yadin Nicol and a slew of other Hurley family members were on hand, as a few hundred attendees ate free burgers and dogs, customized boardshorts and tees, won free prizes at the Phantom Fortune kiosk and tried their luck at the grand prize: a trip to Kandui Resortwith a friend and the Hurley Team.

Even more people anted up for this event, with a solid pack of people hanging around and waiting for the 6 p.m. announcement. Andre Genovesi pulled the card, Rob Machado read it and Chris Palombo, a registered nurse from Encinitas who bought his Flywires just 10 minutes before the cut-off period, threw a power fist. He was joining Chris Hardt as the second Phantom Sweepstakes winner at the Kandui resort. "Is this real?" he said. "There's no way this is real."

Yes, it is, Chris. Better get your quiver ordered. Because come October, you'll be splitting peaks with Rob Machado. In Indo. 

Three more events to go! Be sure to stay tuned to our "Upgrade Your Boardshorts" page for details on our upcoming stops. And be sure to follow our Phantom truck, which will most likely be coming to a neighborhood near you.