North Carolina moved a step closer to its second “American Idol” tonight as Scotty McCreery was named one of the Final Four finalists of this, the show’s 10th season.

The Garner High School junior is less than three weeks from the May 25 finale. Scotty has reached the highest spot for a Tar Heel resident since Season Five of “Idol,” when Chris Daughtry made the Final Four. The sole “Idol” winner from North Carolina is Fantasia Barrino of Season Three. (Raleigh’s Clay Aiken was second in Season Two.)

Scotty won praise this week for the variety he showed in his two Wednesday performances – Montgomery Gentry’s “Gone” and Elvis Presley’s “Always On My Mind.” On tonight's show, Scotty joined the other finalists for a version of The Turtles’ “Happy Together” that showcased – in a bad way – how different their five voices are.

43rd Annual CMA Awards (8pm, ABC) - Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley (left) host. Performances by the hosts as well as Kid Rock, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw ... basically anyone who is anyone in country music will be there. Something to watch for: Vince Gill is scheduled to sing a duet with the band Daughtry.

Glee (9pm, Fox) - Glee returns with a terrific episode in which Kurt competes against Rachel in a diva-off to see who gets to perform "Defying Gravity." Meanwhile, when the school can't pay for a wheelchair-accessible bus for Artie for a trip to regionals, Shuster challenges the glee club to raise the money. Quinn's pregnancy causes a money crunch for her also, so she pressures Finn to help out with the bills. And Sue must hold open tryouts for the Cheerios squad. Oh how the mighty fall...

Return to Duty (9pm, MTV) - Don't forget the documentary special on "Real World: Brooklyn" alum Ryan Conklin's second tour of duty in Iraq.

Top Chef: Las Vegas (10pm, Bravo) - Nigella Lawson is the guest judge tonight, as the six remaining contestants must create a hotel-themed breakfast-in-bed dish.