Robert Willett - rwillett@newsobserver.com
Accolades keep piling up for "American Idol" winner Scotty McCreery.
GARNER -- When Scotty McCreery brought home the "American Idol" crown, he also brought a great deal of pride and attention to Garner. Now, his hometown could play a role in giving something back to the Fox show that made their favorite son a star: an Emmy.
The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday that Scotty's "Idol" homecoming trip to Garner has earned the show an Emmy nomination. It's in the Outstanding Short-Form Picture Editing category for "Scotty's Home Story" - the short video clip of Scotty's May trip to Garner, including visits to Garner High School, the Lowes Foods where he worked, radio station WQDR and Lake Benson Park, where a parade and concert were held.
The other two contestants in the "Idol" final three - Lauren Alaina and Haley Reinhart - also had homecoming clips, but only Scotty's was nominated.
The nod for the Garner segment seems especially fitting considering the special connection the young singer feels to his hometown. Scotty told The News & Observer in a June interview that he was thankful for the town's tremendous support.
"I've grown up around all these people," he said. "We were in this journey together. I took Garner out with me to Hollywood."
Rick Mercier, a spokesman for the town, said it is proud of Scotty and happy for "Idol."
"We're proud of having organized the parade and concert," Mercier said, "and of having helped the 'Idol' crew in other behind-the-scenes ways to help make their visit to Garner a success."
"American Idol" received 10 total nominations this year - a record for the show. Most of the nominations are for technical awards, such as the one for Scotty's home visit. But Ryan Seacrest was nominated for Outstanding Host for a Reality Show, and the show itself was nominated in the category of Outstanding Reality-Competition Program.
"Scotty's Home Story" will be up against two segments from the 83rd Annual Academy Awards, a segment from the 2010 ESPY Awards and a segment from the "Jimmy Kimmel Live" Academy Awards Show special.
The editing award will be presented at the Creative Emmy Awards, which are typically held the weekend before the Primetime Emmy show. An edited version of the Creative Emmys is often broadcast about a week after the awards are handed out. The Primetime Emmy Show is set to air on Sept. 18 on Fox.
Two others with Triangle ties also got major recognition from Emmy on Thursday:
Michael C. Hall, who grew up in Raleigh, was nominated for his lead role on the Showtime drama "Dexter." The Ravenscroft graduate has been nominated for an Emmy four times for playing serial killer Dexter Morgan and once for his part on HBO's "Six Feet Under." Hall has never won. Hall was treated for Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2009 and said in 2010 that the disease was in remission. In 2010, Hall won Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards for his work on "Dexter."
Evan Rachel Wood, who also grew up in Raleigh, was nominated in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie category for her role as Veda Pierce in the HBO miniseries "Mildred Pierce." This is the first Emmy nomination for Wood, who also has a recurring role as the campy Vampire Queen of Louisiana on HBO's "True Blood." Wood is the daughter of Raleigh actor Ira David Wood III, who is best known for his Theatre in the Park productions of "A Christmas Carol."
