In this week's Village Voice Music Section, Rob Harvilla says that Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy has amazing liner notes but isn't such a good record: "I look forward to re-reading these liners in Best Music Writing 2009; you will greatly prefer them, at least initially, to Chinese Democracy itself."

Tom Breihan catches a case of post-graduate depression writing about Kanye West's 808s & Heartbreak.

Saul Austerlitz timidly regards David Bowie's bewildering music-video history at MOMA.

In Books, the debut of Zach Baron's Lit Seen column, featuring a Housing Works Gin Mingle with Joshua Ferris, n+1, and an interview with Roberto Bolaño's translator, Natasha Wimmer.

In Film, J. Hoberman tips his cap to Gus Van Sant's Milk, a suddenly very relevant film.

Ella Taylor welcomes you to Baz Luhrmann's not-quite-marvelous Australia.

Robert Wilonsky attends Four Christmases.

Plus reviews of the 'Punk 'n' Pie' series at BAM, Antarctica, and Transporter 3.

In Art, Leslie Camhi buckles up for the curious photo road trips of William Eggleston and Enrique Metinides.

In Theater, Michael Feingold takes in Road Show, Dividing the Estate, and American Buffalo.

Plus La Dolce Musto on Jon Voight, Lynn Yaeger on Obama dolls, and more...