The TSA is changing airport security lanes

Takashi Murakami isn't called the Japanese Warhol for nothing. In his most recent retrospective at the Brooklyn Museum, Murakami’s 90-plus-works use popular culture to investigate branding and identity. But, instead of using the likeness of celebrities, Murakami introduces the public to his own world of characters in the form of life-size transformer dolls, anime-inspired paintings, and a 10-minute cartoon episode. His world is cheeky, bright, and fun. The buzz surrounding the artist may be, in part, due to his focus on his own brand. His collaboration with Louis Vuitton in 1999—where he created a new collection of leather goods—is displayed in the form of a luxurious in-house shop (yes, bags can be purchased). The artist also self-imposes his name in a popular Japanese model maker’s sign, keeping the tagline "first in quality around the world." Murakami’s most stunning works showcase his affinity for anime: A 7-paneled-painting of mushrooms dotted with eyes alludes to the bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and his hybrid character, Mr. DOB, is a morph of what could be Mickey Mouse and Sonic-the-Hedgehog. With all the buzz surrounding Murakami’s work, these are the ones that live up to all the hype. The exhibit © MURAKAMI is on display until July 13 in the Morris A. Meyer Schapiro Wing and Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Gallery on the 4th and 5th floors. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for students. (www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/murakami)

Disney Cruise Line is slapping on a fee for fuel costs, says the Orlando Sentinel's tourism blog. It was the only major cruise line that hadn't already adopted a fuel surcharge. It will not follow the others in charging even those guests who have already booked, a policy we've complained about before and that is being investigated by Florida's state attorney general. Per the Sentinel: Disney Cruise Lines will charge the first two passengers in a stateroom $8 a person per day up to a maximum of $112 per person per vacation. It will charge any remaining passengers in a cabin $3 a person per day up to a maximum of $42 per person. It will begin levying the fuel surcharge on any new bookings made on or after May 28.

If there's one piece of advice I give more than any other, it's to join the loyalty club of any company you use. But when I recently stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel in Chicago, I didn't take my own advice (to be honest, I didn't know it was part of the Preferred Hotel Group). While at the hotel—which is supposed to make you feel young and cool, but only made me feel old when I had to deal with blaring rock 'n' roll at 7 a.m.—I grabbed a brochure for the I Prefer benefit program. When I got home I signed up, and I learned that members get room upgrade based on availability, priority early check-in and late check-out, and complimentary Internet access. I also think it's wise to make sure the company knows when you book that you're a member because if someone must get treated less well than everyone else—put in a crummy room, for instance, or bumped entirely—the staff is less likely to inconvenience someone they perceive as loyal.