'American Idol': Will Women Rule This Year?

Feb. 26, 2010— -- Guys have won the last two seasons of "American Idol," but will women rule this year?

The judges seem to think so.

"I would say there is a better chance of a girl winning this year than last," Simon Cowell predicted during a conference call after the show's Hollywood week.

"You want somebody who represents what's going on at the moment," he said. "I'd love to find a Taylor Swift -- somebody who is relevant, rather than just a contest winner."

As this year's Grammys showed, women are especially relevant in the music industry right now.

"This year, it's the woman's movement," Kara DioGuardi said during the conference call. "Just look at artists like Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Beyonce. Looking at the talent we have this year -- it's similar. The girls are unique, they're different."

"I would love to see a girl win," DioGuardi said.

Randy Jackson also predicted a woman will win.

"I think a girl's gonna take it," he told MTV News. "I think the talent's bigger this season with the girls. I think they came in better, more prepared and they probably were at home saying, 'God, every season a boy wins. What happened to the girls?'"

If this first week of the semifinals is any indication, the girls are off to a stronger start. Neither group had a great night, but many "Idol" watchers agree that the boys were pretty bad.

"With the guys you can't pick out one stellar performance," MJ Santilli, who writes about "Idol" on mjsbigblog.com, told ABCNews.com.

The notable exception, she said, was the tall blonde good-looking Texan Casey James, who has gotten more attention for taking his shirt off during his audition than for his vocal prowess. DioGuardi professed to have a crush on him.

On Wednesday night he delivered a steady performance of Bryan Adams' "Heaven," despite DioGuardi's ogling. After commenting on his looks, the judges did compliment him on his talent. Santilli hopes the focus turns more to his singing ability.

"They're turning him into an object," she said. "They are distracting from his talent. I think it could hurt him. I think he has a chance to do well."