Did Scotty McCreery really mean to snub comedian Jack Black on the night of the "American Idol" finale? What did Scotty really think about those group song-and-dance numbers the finalists had to do? And was Hollywood Week really as dramatic as it looked on TV?

Here are some more tidbits from our recent interview with Scotty. For our story on how he is balancing his new fame and being a teen, go here.

Scotty McCreery and the other two "American Idol" finalists sang three times each tonight as they sought spots in next week's finale. And guess what? Randy Jackson declared that all three of them are "in it to win it!" Because Randy thinks everyone is in it to win it! (And if you weren't in it to win it, why would you be in it at all?)

In any case, Scotty won good marks for all of his performances -- one personal pick, one judge's pick and one selection from "Idol" mentor Jimmy Iovine.

Scotty's personal selection was Lonestar's "Amazed," which allowed him to show off a higher range than we're used to from the low-voiced 17-year-old. The judges called it a smart choice that was sung well.

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.

After displaying his flair with country ballads often this season, Scotty McCreery showed off his rocking country attitude tonight. Contestants had to sing one current song and one from the 1960s. Scotty picked Montgomery Gentry’s “Gone” for his contemporary number, and he had a blast with it.

Scotty started out performing among the audience. He then made his way to the stage before leaping toward the judges’ table. Scotty said it was the most fun he has had onstage in a long time. It showed.

The judges loved it. “That is some ‘American Idol’ stuff right there,” Jennifer Lopez gushed. “Who knew that you could rock the stage like that?” Randy Jackson asked. And Steven Tyler said the usually straight-laced Scotty danced “with the devil” – which Steven termed a good thing.

It was hard for Scotty McCreery to go too country with this week’s theme – the songs of Carole King. So he did the next best thing, singing two songs famously covered by another Tar Heel singer, James Taylor. (As we predicted!)

Each of the six finalists sang twice tonight -- once alone and once as part of a duet.

Scotty went with “You’ve Got a Friend” for his solo, and he really tried to change up his usual deep-voiced twang. He got some good advice this week from regular mentor Jimmy Iovine and guest mentor Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. (And Wolfpack fans will be happy to note that Scotty wore an N.C. State T-shirt during the mentor session.)

Scotty McCreery got his toughest criticism of the season from the judges this week after a so-so performance of “Swingin’.” But viewers didn’t seem to mind, as Scotty was easily voted into the Final Six on tonight's results show.

Judges Randy Jackson and Jennifer Lopez said on Wednesday's performance show that  Scotty needs to challenge himself and branch away from country. Tonight, producers made Scotty do just that. He had to sing  Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” with rocker finalist James Durbin and oddball jazz finalist Casey Abrams.

It was an unusual trio, to be sure, but Scotty held his own. He sounded much better than Casey. James, of course, was completely in his element.

Well, it had to happen. After weeks of winning nothing but praise from the “American Idol” judges, Scotty McCreery got some criticism tonight -- mainly because they thought he needed to stray further from his country comfort zone.

Could that -- along with performing in the dreaded first spot of the night -- land Scotty in the bottom three on Thursday night? Hard to say. The loud boos that Randy Jackson received when he criticized Scotty seem to suggest that the Garner High School student still has many, many fans.

Before each contestant sang this week, producers played clips of the other finalists offering gentle ribbing. For Scotty, his fellow contestants poked fun at the way he holds his microphone and sings out the side of his mouth. Haley Reinhart questioned whether he was a flute player in a past life.

Scotty McCreery’s lively performance of a song from his childhood idol easily earned him a spot in “American Idol’s” Elite Eight tonight. Scotty, left, the Garner High School junior, was sent to safety fairly early in the live results show, which seemed even more disjointed than usual.

Then came what will no doubt go down as one of the most shocking "Idol" eliminations ever.

But first, there was lots of strange filler, such as:

When Garner's Scotty McCreery heard this was going to be "Motown Week" on "American Idol," he acknowledged that his first thought was, "Lord knows, what am I going to do with this?" What he did was a version of Stevie Wonder's "For Once In My Life" with a strong dose of twang in it. All in all, it worked better than you might expect.

Scotty strayed a good bit from his trademark low notes, and this was a much more up-tempo performance than he has given so far. (Leading to a few pointing gestures that were almost cheesy. Scotty said in the intro to his performance that "the last thing I want to do is come across as a lounge singer.")

Judge Steven Tyler called it "beautiful" and compared Scotty to Glen Campbell. (We guess that was a compliment.) Jennifer Lopez said it was a great version of the song that Scotty -- Warning: "Idol" cliche alert! -- "made his own." Randy Jackson said it probably wasn't Scotty's best song but that he came across as "a young lady killer."

The 13 “American Idol” finalists were asked to choose a song from one of their own musical idols tonight, and the only question for Garner’s Scotty McCreery was which country artist he would pick.

After chatting with host Ryan Seacrest about how it’s “killing him” to miss his Garner High School baseball season (and sending a shout out to his “blue crew Trojans”) Scotty tells us he picked Garth Brooks’ song “The River.”

Legendary producer Don Was, who was working with Scotty, called him a natural storyteller. Scotty noted that, “You’ve got to be country music. You can’t just sing it.”

It was not his very best performance, but it certainly was good. And the judges, as usual, liked Scotty. Randy Jackson was glad Scotty didn’t try to change who he is: “If it ain’t broke, don’t even think about fixing it.”