Simon Predicts 'Idol' Winner

American Idol judge Simon Cowell made an early prediction for this year’s winner and it’s not who he thought it was going to be. "If you’d asked me five or six weeks ago, 100 percent I would have said Crystal [Bowersox]. But now I’ve changed my mind. I think Lee [DeWyze] is going to win,” Cowell said. The often-snarky judge sat down with fellow Idol judge Ellen Degeneres on her talk show in an episode set to air Tuesday, a few hours shy of the top two’s final performances.

Dewyze, 24, has been deemed this season’s "dark horse" and Cowell is one of the many charmed by his story. "He’s worked in a paint shop," Cowell said. "He’s talented. He hasn’t had any real breaks in life, and this has given him a shot, and I like that.” This will be the Cowell’s ninth and last year on the show. The reality season finale will air on Wednesday. –KRIS ALCANTARA