Paula will reportedly send Simon off on ‘Idol’

LOS ANGELES — Simon Cowell may get a very special “American Idol” goodbye this week.

According to People, former judge Paula Abdul will join the show for a “special send-off” to the departing judge.

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Should Abdul return, it will be her first appearance on “Idol” since leaving the show prior to the beginning of season nine. She was replaced at the judges’ table by Ellen DeGeneres.

The two-night season finale on FOX on Tuesday and Wednesday will pit Crystal Bowersox against Lee DeWyze, and also mark the end of Cowell’s tenure as the show’s lovably critical last word.

He will launch a new reality competition, a U.S. version of “X Factor,” in 2011.