Brazil

Often film sequels are slam dunks at the box office, a seamless continuation from where a previous hit left off. But as the new installment of the 15-year-old franchise "Men in Black" proves, getting to the big screen isn't always a cakewalk. One of the most troubled productions in recent Hollywood memory, Sony Pictures' latest movie in the Will Smith-Tommy Lee Jones sci-fi-comedy franchise encountered multiple script rewrites, a discontented star and a three-month production shutdown as writers and studio executives scrambled to fix a project that nearly fell apart . By the time it was over, the studio had run up a tab of nearly $250 million - making "Men in Black 3" one of the most expensive releases of the summer.

RECIFE, Brazil — The Brazilian state of Pernambuco was once known for its vast plains of parched dirt and roving bandits called cangacos, who robbed from the rich and gave to the poor. For later generations, escaping the widespread poverty of the northeast customarily meant moving to livelier southeastern cities like Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, though many migrants still ended up living in favelas , or slums. Today, an economic boom has given locals good reasons to stay put, and large numbers of Brazilians are even making their way north in search of a better life.

It was evidently good enough for Gilligan and Robinson Crusoe. But is coconut water a healthy choice for people who aren't stranded on a deserted island? A longstanding treat in tropical regions across the globe, coconut water hit U.S. supermarkets a few years back and is now being marketed with a vengeance. Sometimes billed as nature's sports drink, the slightly sour beverage has also acquired a reputation for being able to improve circulation, slow aging, fight viruses, boost immunity, and reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease and stroke.

If you were to combine Juninho and David Junior Lopes and divide by two, you'd wind up with two average-sized soccer players — not to mention an even number of names for both. Taken as they are, the 5-foot-7 Juninho and his 6-foot-3 Brazilian countryman were the largest and smallest of the Galaxy's outfield players Saturday. And together they played the biggest roles in a 3-1 victory over the Portland Timbers before an announced crowd of 22,143 at the Home Depot Center.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced it would invest at least $1 billion in Brazil to expand its operations in Latin America's biggest country. The U.S. retail giant will open 80 to 90 stores beginning in 2009. Wal-Mart opened its first store in Brazil in 1995 and today has 318 stores employing 70,000 people.

Who could resent the attention being showered on electric cars? Stylish and clean, they're the darling of the renewable-energy crowd, which is hailing the scheduled rollout of several e-powered models next year as a major blow against global warming. Well, Eduardo Leao, for one. He's executive director of the Brazil's largest sugar industry association, called UNICA, and he insists that cane-based ethanol produced in massive quantities by his members is a better alternative fuel for the environment than electricity.

Business travel is growing within the U.S. and across the globe, especially with the booming economies in China, Brazil and Australia. But an innocent hand gesture can doom what otherwise would be a very profitable trip across international borders. International business trips, launched from the U.S., reached 6.78 million trips in 2011, a 3% increase over 2010, according to the Global Business Travel Assn., a Virginia-based trade group. To help make sure those business trips go smoothly, Dean Foster, a cultural etiquette expert who has consulted for such companies as DreamWorks, Volkswagen, Heineken and Bank of America, has put his 25 years of expertise in a series of cellphone and tablet applications.

An undercover TV journalist reporting on crime and drugs in Rio de Janeiro's shantytowns was tortured and put to death with a sword by a drug lord who runs his territory like a medieval fiefdom, police said. Tim Lopes of Globo television was captured June 2 as he tried to infiltrate a dance party in northern Rio de Janeiro, where gangs sell drugs and stage illicit sex shows.

Latecomers have to hunt for a seat at the First Baptist Church of Copacabana. By 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, the pews are full, the drummers and guitarists warmed up, and the faithful are ready to meet God. "Thanks be to your name," the pastor prays earnestly, his brow furrowed. "Be among us." A chorus of amens bursts from the congregation. Some members have their hands raised.

It already looks like 2012 will prove to be a good year for globetrotting ride enthusiasts as theme parks in Asia, Europe and South America are planning to roll out major new attractions. > Photos: Best new international theme park rides for 2012 Theme parks around the world are preparing a highly anticipated slate for 2012 that includes record-setting roller coasters, one-of-a-kind attractions, pulse-quickening thrill rides and family-friendly themed lands. Since it is still early, I'll update my Top 20 over the coming months as new projects are announced.

Business travel is growing within the U.S. and across the globe, especially with the booming economies in China, Brazil and Australia. But an innocent hand gesture can doom what otherwise would be a very profitable trip across international borders. International business trips, launched from the U.S., reached 6.78 million trips in 2011, a 3% increase over 2010, according to the Global Business Travel Assn., a Virginia-based trade group. To help make sure those business trips go smoothly, Dean Foster, a cultural etiquette expert who has consulted for such companies as DreamWorks, Volkswagen, Heineken and Bank of America, has put his 25 years of expertise in a series of cellphone and tablet applications.

Brazil'srising stature and influence will be on display when President Dilma Rousseff arrives in Washington this week - as it was when President Obama visited Brazil one year ago, accompanied by his top economic advisors, including several Cabinet members, and about 50 chief executives from the largest U.S. companies. The conundrum that faces the two governments is how to turn what both agree is a critical relationship into a productive and cooperative one. Brazilians and Americans talk a great deal about the desirability of a "strategic" relationship between their countries, but neither does much to achieve it. The economic benefits should be obvious.

SAO PAULO, Brazil - If you plan to fly somewhere in Brazil on a busy weekend, you'd better be prepared to wait. At some airports, up to a third of the flights can be canceled or delayed. If you choose to drive, you'll sit in traffic. The 50-mile trip from Sao Paulo to nearby beaches for the Carnaval holiday this year took as long as five hours. If you're counting on the planned bullet train between Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, good luck with that. It won't be ready when Brazil hosts soccer's 2014 World Cup. In fact, the transportation minister said recently that it won't be operating until 2022, at the earliest.

Chevron Corp. and Transocean Ltd. are being sued for $22 billion in environmental damages in Brazil, double the initial claims, after a federal prosecutor filed a lawsuit over a second oil spill off the nation's coast. Chevron committed "a series of errors" that led to the March spill at the Frade project, the federal prosecutors' office said. Prosecutor Eduardo Santos de Oliveira is also seeking to halt operations at the project and block the San Ramon, Calif., oil giant from transferring profits from Brazil.

A fugitive in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum corruption case said he was in "the jungles of Brazil" and will not return to face trial in an alleged kickback scheme because he shouldn't have been charged. "Let 'em come over here and get me," Tony Estrada, a former Coliseum janitorial contractor who portrays himself as a whistle-blower done wrong, told The Times in a telephone interview. Estrada, who has been charged with embezzlement and conspiracy, said Monday he came forward more than a year ago with canceled checks and other evidence that showed he was making secret payments to the stadium's then-general manager, Patrick Lynch.

The chief executives of Chevron Corp.'s and Transocean Ltd.'s Brazilian units are among 17 executives at the two companies banned from leaving the country pending an investigation into an offshore oil spill. Chevron's George Buck and Transocean's Michael Legrand were on the list of managers that federal prosecutors asked Judge Vlamir Costa Magalhaes to ban from leaving Brazil, according to a copy of the request sent Monday by the prosecutor's office. The judge issued the ban Friday.

World Cup 2010: BRAZIL FIFA ranking: 2 Overall World Cup record: 64-14-14 Coach: Dunga Best performance: Winner, 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002 Overview: No country has won the World Cup more often than Brazil, which figures to be a solid favorite again. And it's easy to see why, given a star-studded roster that includes Kaka, striker Luis Fabiano and keeper Julio Cesar. Plus, Dunga's team is supremely confident given that it won last summer's Confederation Cup in South Africa.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton stopped off in Ecuador this week to improve relations with leftist President Rafael Correa, battered by a U.S. military agreement with Ecuador's next-door neighbor, Colombia. She supported Correa's proposal to collect income taxes from the wealthy, who chronically underpay across Latin America, in what appears to be part of a worthy effort to nudge Ecuador out of the sphere of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Now the Obama administration should focus on Brazil, the region's economic power and real counterweight to Chavez, to ensure that our bilateral relationship is not derailed by differences over how to address Iran's nuclear program.

— When he notices she has entered, the DJ sprays fire and smoke from an elaborate spaceship control deck onto hundreds of teenagers from the poor outskirts of this city in the Amazon. Soon, she climbs to the top of the alien structure, launching into an impromptu version of one of her manic dance songs, celebrating the pirate nature of these huge parties that launched her career. "I'm going to sample you, I'm going to rob you," she booms over the crowd, before calling out the names of the various groups holding up signs demonstrating their allegiance to a particular part of the scene.

Pastry obsessives might have an affinity for layer cakes, fruit tarts or croissants, and may even know where to score kouign amann (the caramelized Breton pastry). Filipino silvanas and Danishes by way of Taiwan are probably a taller order. How about warm Persian sangak slathered with cultured cream and honey? Or the Chilean cake brazo de reina filled with dulce de leche ? Here are some bakeries from recent Find columns at which to get your beyond-chocolate-chip-cookies fix. - Linda Burum, Miles Clements, Betty Hallock and C. Thi Nguyen Chilenazo Baker Ruben Villaruel is baking more than Chilenazo's sturdy buns - the foundation of the Chilean cafe's hefty sandwiches.