TMZ: Paula Abdul Will Be On Idol Finale

LOS ANGELES - TMZ has joined People magazine in saying Paula Abdul will be one of the "American Idol" alumni on Wednesday night's season finale, which is Simon Cowell's last gig on the iconic show.

Cowell is signing off after nine seasons on "Idol" to launch "The X Factor" on Fox in the fall of 201.

TMZ says Abdul was spotted getting a designer outfit for her Idol return.

People says Abdul and a host of former contestants may appear in a salute to Simon.

Abdul left "Idol" last May after her contract expired. She was replaced by Ellen DeGeneres.

Singers Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze will battle on Tuesday and Wednesday to win the popular Fox singing competition.

DeWyze told host Ryan Seacrest that he's "never wanted to win more than I do right now," while Bowersox thanked the judges for their continued support.

"Everything that you guys have said has been helpful," beamed Bowersox.

The duo had long been considered to be the front-runners of the ninth season, never appearing as one of the show's bottom vote-getters. Bowersox solidified her finale spot Tuesday with Melissa Etheridge's "Come To My Window" and Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed," while DeWyze delighted with Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man" and Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah."

"It's just totally different than I would ever thought it would have been," DeWyze said of the experience.

The finale comes during a slump for the aging but popular Fox franchise. Seacrest revealed that more than 47 million votes were cast this week for Bowersox, DeWyze and James. At this point in the competition last year, the host announced more than 88 million votes were received for Danny Gokey, Adam Lambert and Kris Allen, who went on to win the eighth season.