Idol Chatter & Voice Views

If, like me, you plan on spending Friday evening at home, you at least have to welcome in 2011 with a good New Year’s Eve special, right?

FOX is offering up New Year’s Eve Live, featuring a performance by American Idol season seven runnerup David Archuleta.

The show will air from 11 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

Other highlights include performances by Travie McCoy, the Plain White Ts and dance crew Jabbawockeez. Nancy O’Dell will host the show; Brandy will “hit the streets of Las Vegas” as a special correspondent, according to the FOX release announcing the show.

Last year, the FOX New Year’s show featured performances by Kris Allen and Allison Iraheta.

No idea why FOX decided to forgo performances by the season nine finalists this time around, but it’s nice to see the inclusion of David Archuleta.

He released a solid second album, “The Other Side of Down,” earlier this year.

But the album quickly disappeared from the Billboard 200, and the first single failed to make an impact.

Bottom line: David could use the publicity that accompanies a New Year’s Eve appearance on a major network.

Friday’s show will also feature the debut of Mariah Carey’s music video for the holiday classic “Auld Lang Syne,” from her “Merry Christmas II You” album.