Jabba (presenter)

{{Short description|Australian television presenter}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}

{{Infobox person

|name = Jabba

|image =

|alt =

|caption =

|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1973|09|15}}

|birth_place = Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

|death_date =

|death_place =

|birth_name = Jason Davis

|known_for = Channel [V], Housos

|occupation = Television presenter
VJ
radio host
actor

| years_active = 1995–present

}}

Jason Davis (born 15 September 1973 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia), known professionally as Jabba, is an Australian actor, media personality, video jockey, television and radio host, who first made a name for himself as part of the launch of subscription television in Australia in 1995. He was a host for music television station "Red" on the now-defunct Galaxy subscription television network, before the channel changed its name to Channel V. Jason the jabba was part of a famous Incubus live performance at a secret gig in Bondi 2002.{{cite news

| title = Red in your face

| first = Sacha

| last = Molitorisz

| url = http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?docID=news951022_0022_2367

| newspaper = The Sydney Morning Herald

| location = Sydney, Australia

| date = 22 October 1995

| page = 6

| accessdate = 23 December 2009

}}

Early life

Born Jason Davis, Jabba attended Hunters Hill Primary School, where he gained his name, and James Ruse Agricultural High School.{{cite web|url=http://www.hillsnews.com.au/story/408366/housos-hit-the-big-screen/|title=Houses hit the big screen|first=Ben|last=Chenoweth|date=19 October 2012|work=Hills News|access-date=29 June 2013|archive-date=9 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140309063611/http://www.hillsnews.com.au/story/408366/housos-hit-the-big-screen/|url-status=dead}} He also played with the All Saints Hunters Hill soccer team, and Parramatta Waterpolo Club.

Career

Jabba began presenting for Foxtel’s [V] in 1994. He hosted a variety of shows including The Joint and Jabba's Morning Glory, which featured performances and interviews with prominent musicians including Pink and Beastie Boys. During his time with [V], he played the role of Davo 'Dazza' Dinkum in the SBS television comedy show Pizza and Swift and Shift Couriers.

In 2004, Jabba participated in the Band in a Bubble project with Australian alternative rock band Regurgitator, which involved him being locked in a Big Brother-style environment with the group and their engineers while they produced an album under 24-hour surveillance. During this time, it was revealed that he had separated from his long-term partner and mother of his children. Following the project's conclusion, Jacquie Riddell of XYZnetworks, announced that Jabba would be taking an extended break, stating that "(the bubble) was a pretty big deal".{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/11/08/1099781291634.html?from=storyrhs|title=Bubble bursts and Jabba goes into recovery|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=8 November 2004 }} In 2005, he left [V] and began presenting for Nova FM in Brisbane.

Jabba later moved back home to Sydney, working at Nova 96.9 hosting The All New Nova Top 10 with Jabba and Mel, while still also hosting the Motorola ARIA Charts show on Sunday afternoons, Nova's only national show. In November 2008, Jabba and Mel left The All New Nova Top 10 with Jabba and Mel and were replaced by James Kerley and Maz Compton.

Jabba was also the host of Great BBQ Challenge, a competition series on Foxtel's LifeStyle Food channel. It was a reality-style contest to find Australia's best BBQer, who would win $25,000 and go on to host their own show on Lifestyle Food. He has been named by some (one actually) as a 'social recalcitrant'. "It sort of slid when he left the international passport to smoking pleasure behind".

In March 2010, Jabba became host of a new breakfast radio program with Mike Goldman called Macarthur Breakfast on the Win TV Network’s C91.3 FM in Campbelltown, NSW. Jabba and Mike left the station in December 2010, after refusing to move to Campbelltown, because it was deemed important for the station to be as local as possible.

In 2011, he appeared on two SBS sitcoms: Swift and Shift Couriers and Housos. In 2014 he was featured in the motion picture Fat Pizza vs. Housos.{{cite web |url=http://www.hoyts.com.au/movies/2014/fat_pizza_vs_housos.aspx |title=Fat Pizza Vs Housos |publisher=Hoyts |access-date=19 November 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129060848/http://www.hoyts.com.au/movies/2014/fat_pizza_vs_housos.aspx |archive-date=29 November 2014 }}

Jabba also writes a column for the Australian edition of Rolling Stone.

In 2013, Jabba joined the Seven Network's Weekend Sunrise as a movie reviewer.

Filmography

=Film=

class="wikitable" border="1"

! Year

TitleRoleType
1998Somewhere in the Darkness
2002Garage DaysFeature film
2002Incubus – Bondi RSL
2003Fat PizzaDavo DinkumFeature film
2012Housos vs. AuthorityDarren 'Dazza' SmithFeature film
2014Fat Pizza vs. HousosDarren 'Dazza' SmithFeature film

=Television=

class="wikitable" border="1"

! Year

TitleRoleType
1999The JointHost
2000–07PizzaMiddle Class Homeboy & Davo DinkumTV series
2002Jabba's Morning GloryHostTV series
2004Pizza LiveDavo DinkumTV series
2006World Record PizzaDavo DinkumTV series
2006Pull Up SelectaHostTV series
2006–07Great BBQ ChallengeHostTV series
2007–1020 to 1HostTV series
20082008 National Musicoz AwardsHostTV special
2008; 2011Swift and Shift CouriersVarious charactersTV series
2009DirtgirlworldHayman (voice)Animated TV series
2011Jabba's Curious WorldPresenterTV series
2011The Essential 20PresenterTV series
2011HousosDazzaTV series
2013–present

|Weekend Sunrise

|Movie Reviewer

|

Awards

Jabba was nominated for and won the Best Music Personality at the 2007 Australian Commercial Radio Awards held at Crown Casino.{{cite news

| title = Winners For 2007 ACRAs

| url = http://www.commercialradio.com.au/acras/files/uploaded/file/Finalists_Winners%20Lists/2007%20ACRAs%20Winners%20List.pdf

| access-date = 9 August 2010

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110409171705/http://www.commercialradio.com.au/acras/files/uploaded/file/Finalists_Winners%20Lists/2007%20ACRAs%20Winners%20List.pdf

| archive-date = 9 April 2011

| url-status = dead

}}

References

{{Reflist}}