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it reminded me of my favorite scene from the Blues Brothers.

The actor, who was known for tough-guy roles, also appeared in "Philadelphia," "Silence of the Lambs" and "Rambo: First Blood II." Charles Napier, an actor who was known for his tough-guy roles in movies like Blues Brothers, died Wednesday afternoon at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital, according to reports. He was 75. The actor was reportedly found sometime Tuesday morning in his Bakersfield home after having collapsed and was taken to the hospital, where he was put on life support in the intensive care unit. Around 1 p.m. Wednesday, he was taken off life support. The cause of death is unclear, but...

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HARVEY, Ill., Illinois officials announced plans to demolish a suburban Chicago mall that served as a set for a famous scene in the 1980 film "The Blues Brothers." Gov. Pat Quinn said Thursday the state is receiving a $4 million federal grant to demolish Dixie Square Mall in Harvey to make way for redevelopment to revitalize the area, the Chicago Tribune reported Friday. The mall, which has been vacant for more than 30 years, served as a filming location for the mall car chase scene in "The Blues Brothers." "Dixie Square has been a place that we know has to...

They really were "on a mission from God." In a stunning move by the Vatican, the classic Dan Aykroyd-John Belushi comedy film "The Blues Brothers" was declared a "Catholic classic" alongside more pious films such as "The Ten Commandments" and "The Passion of the Christ." The announcement was made in the Vatican's official newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, corresponding with 30th anniversary of the release of the film. "As a former altar boy from age 6 . . . but a somewhat lapsed Catholic, I was delighted with the endorsement," Aykroyd said in a message to The Post yesterday. AYKROYD & BELUSHI...

NEW LONDON, Conn. -- Ned Lamont, the Democratic challenger for U.S. Senate and several of his campaign staff workers were in the same crowd that a station wagon plowed into Saturday afternoon during the city's annual Sailfest. Lamont was not injured, said a campaign spokeswoman, but three of the staffers were treated for various injuries. In all 27, people were injured in the incident. Lamont, who is challenging three-term incumbent Sen. Joe Lieberman in the Aug. 8 primary, was campaigning at festival, said spokeswoman Liz Dupont-Diehl. "Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who was hurt," Dupont-Diehl told The Associated...

Unlike the Blues Brothers, Travis Bell isn't exactly on a holy mission. The 32-year-old Indianapolis man is trying to return to the film's locations and simulate as many stunts as he can in his Bluesmobile replica car, a 1974 Dodge Monaco signed by Dan Aykroyd. His friends are filming the stunts for a DVD he plans to sell on the Internet -- "Return to Chicago 2005.'' A preview is posted at www.blues brotherscentral.com. So far, Bell has driven across Daley Plaza and pulled up on the sidewalk in front of the County Building, just as the Blues Brothers did. He's...

<p>As we pause from our busy lives to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death, it must be noted that as creative and influential as this brilliant-but-tragic man was, he does not deserve to be called, as he is by so many, the King.</p> <p>Sure, Elvis was a figure of transcendent influence in pop music. He was, at least in his earlier years, an electrifying performer. He is known for the ability he had to combine disparate elements of black and white Southern music (country, blues, rockabilly) into a driving, compelling and, most of all, popular style.</p>

The political spillover of Middle East issues into U.S. politics is threatening the political livelihoods of some members of the Congressional Black Caucus and straining relations between black and Jewish Democrats. This is a significant political development because blacks and Jews have been traditional political allies and both have been strong pillars of support for the Democratic Party. What's more, Jews were among the strongest supporters of the civil rights movement and remain prominent in the struggle for racial justice. The most recent example was the defeat of U.S. Rep. Earl Hilliard, a five-term black congressman from Alabama's 7th District....

UNCASVILLE, Conn. - The Mohegan Sun casino officially threw open the doors of its glitzy $1 billion hotel expansion this weekend with a star-studded $2 million bash that was more fun than creaming the house with a royal flush. Ex-President Clinton wailed on the sax with the Blues Brothers, talk-show titan Rosie O'Donnell dueted with Cyndi Lauper and Cher was Living Proof that Vegas-style entertainment has a new home in New England. ``When you have Cher, Cyndi Lauper and Steven Tyler in the house, why would you even think of going to bed?'' ex-``Party of Five'' gal Jennifer Love Hewitt...