Leon Jackson enter, and also on the high-profile dismissals of judge Louis Walsh and presenter Kate Thornton, to be replaced by choreographer and "Grease Is the Word" judge Brian Friedman and "Big Brother's Little Brother" host Dermot O'Leary respectively. Before hiring Freidman and Minogue, Cowell had apparently approached colleague and fellow "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson, and close friend and "X Factor" mentor Sinitta. Walsh, however, was quickly reinstated, with Friedman becoming the show's choreographer. Jackson's prize as winner was a £1 million recording contract. His first single release was "When You Believe", arranged for the finalists by composer Stephen Schwartz and
Search for the Idol Philippines Sanchez, the runner-up of the 11th season of American Idol, will be added as a judge but it has been denied by her. Billy Crawford confirmed his role as the host after he also renewed his contract with the network. In 2018, ABS-CBN acquired the rights to air the third incarnation of the "Idol" in the Philippines. On October 17, 2018, Regine Velasquez was revealed as the first judge following her contract signing with the network. The following month, also after a contract signing, Billy Crawford was announced to host the show. Search for the Idol Philippines Search for the