LOS ANGELES

Visual effects are now the foremost draw for most big-budget movies, and yet conditions for the workers who create those effects have never been worse. Many VFX artists face punishing schedules, working with no health insurance or benefits to meet the demands of effects-laden motion pictures.

The Los Angeles Lakers will give Kareem Abdul-Jabbar a statue outside of Staples Center. Kobe Bryant will likely be the next L.A. star to be honored.

On Monday, tragedy struck again for Sylvester Stallone.

The Dodgers could look to trade for Alex Rodriguez next year. Los Angeles has already talked to the New York Yankees about acquiring C.C. Sabathia and Mark Teixeira.

Dr. Phil may be going through some separation anxiety after the talk show host reportedly had his classic car worth $100,000 stolen from a California repair shop.

A sign in front of Steven Showers' California home has made his home the topic of neighborly outrage. The 14-foot tall buzzing neon obelisk pleads for passersby to "Save the GOP." A relatively unthreatening sentiment, right? Except the rest of the glowing red and green text labels Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney a "racist."

Singer Christina Aguilera was spotted in Los Angeles earlier this week, shooting a music video for an unreleased track which will be on her upcoming seventh album

The Dodgers are looking to make more moves after acquiring Adrian Gonzalez from the Red Sox. L.A. is looking to trade for a starting pitcher, with Joe Saunders as a likely target.

Scientist and educator William Sanford Nye, a.k.a. "Bill Nye the Science Guy," spoke out against creationism in a YouTube video published on Thursday, Aug. 23. Three days later, rumors of Nye's death became a trending topic on Twitter, which sparked a massive outpouring of support for the allegedly dead PBS children's show host.

In the dating world, post-breakup haircuts are typically reserved for the injured parties at the end of a long or particularly intense relationship, but John Mayer doesn't seem to have gotten the memo. The 34-year-old singer-songwriter, who recently parted ways with pop star Katy Perry, stepped out at a party at the SkyBar at the Mondrian Los Angeles on Saturday night to celebrate Mindy Kaling's new TV series "The Mindy Project," and debuted a drastically shorter new hairdo.

Bruce Willis is known for being a tough guy after starring in action-oriented movies such as "Die Hard," "Pulp Fiction," and "Sin City." But apparently Willis wasn't always so cold-blooded. In the 1984 Levi's Jeans commercial below, Willis dances around wearing a yellow shirt and jeans. It's something to see.

A grizzly bear attacked and killed a hiker in Alaska's Denali National Park and Preserve on Friday, according to the National Park Service. It is the first known such instance in the park's history, although the situation is reminiscent of Werner Herzog's "Grizzly Man" documentary.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox are completed a blockbuster trade Saturday.

Kirsten Dunst's newest film, "Bachelorette," made its debut at Archlight Cinemas in Los Angeles on Thursday night. The female-driven indie dramedy will hit select cities on Sept. 7, and it is now available via video on demand.

Jeffrey Johnson returned to the location of his old job at the Hazan Import Corp. in New York, killing former co-worker Steve Ercolino on Friday. Since the shooting, details have emerged about who Johnson was.

The Lakers have the best team on paper, according to Chris Bosh. The Heat forward thinks Los Angeles has a better roster than Miami.

A former executive is suing MTV Networks and its parent, Viacom (Nasdaq: VIA), claiming she was bullied by superiors and discriminated for her age and gender before being unjustly fired.

The Dodgers have claimed Adrian Gonzalez off waivers and have 48 hours to work out a trade with the Red Sox. Is the first baseman headed from Boston to Los Angeles?

Kristen Bell thinks that her dog is racist, or so she told late-night host Chelsea Handler.

The alleged shooter who left 12 people dead and 58 injured in a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., James Holmes, withdrew from a doctoral program just over a month before his supposed rampage. Holmes dropped out of a neuroscience program after he failed an oral exam and made unspecified threats.

A 19-year-old Masters College student died after a sand pit caved in on him Oxnard Beach, Calif.