Carnaval Complot?

AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, THE IMPERATRIZ LEOPOLDINENSE WILL TRY TO THREE-PEAT AS SAMBA SCHOOL champion of Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro. Although the school easily nabbed top honors last year--29 of the 30 judges gave it a perfect "10" for its interpretation (see above) of 500 years of progress in Brazil--the victory was not without controversy.

The crowds at the sambodromo boisterously cheered second-place finisher Beija Flor and fourth-place samba school Mocidade Independente do Padre Miguel, but they greeted the nearly 4,000 members of Imperatriz Leopoldinense with jeers. The rub? Fans thought the winning school had an unfair edge since it controlled the presidency of the Liga Independente das Escolas de Samba, the samba school league that organizes the parade and chooses the judges.

This year promises to be no less controversial. Imperatriz's theme of sugar cane and Brazilian firewater relies more on corporate interests than creative ones. Local cachaca producers had rooted for the boozy theme at one of the world's largest and best known parties as a way to kick-start global sales of the liquor.