House of Blues
By Tim Bullard, part 3

Continued:

I've got one on HBO coming out called 'Retroactive' in June. And I've got this ABC TV series called 'Total Security.'" Belushi is proud of the John Belushi Scholarship Fund. "It's been going on for about 10 years," he said. "What we do is put some kids through school, the High School of Performing Arts in Chicago and a college in our hometown. The scholarship goes to kids who are not necessarily the brightest, but aren't necessarily the poorest, the guys and the girls that the scholarship can give them some confidence and turn them around a little bit."

Goodman talked about the end of "Roseanne." "I hated to see it go, but I guess it was about time," Goodman said. "She accomplished a lot in nine years. I mean, it's amazing it stayed on that long." Goodman working with David Byrne on "True Stories" was fun. "It was great. David's a very creative person," he said. "He's out there."

House of Blues founder and chief executive officer Isaac Burton Tigrett II, 48, was proud before the opening. The outsider art of S.C. artists, Howard Finster, Prophet Blackmon, Herbert Singleton, Jimmie Lee Sudduth, W.C. Rice, Missionary Mary Proctor, Ed Mumma, Sybil Gibson, Purvis Young, Archie Bryon, Sam McMillan, Willie White, Prophet Royal Robertson and others is featured at the venue.

"It's extraordinary," Tigrett said of the art form. "I grew up in an African-American community, and this art is what I've been around my whole life. It's fantastic. These are untrained artists, rural folks. They don't have agents. They don't have galleries. They just pick up whatever they can find and create." Tigrett said he was living in England when he met Aykroyd through some friends. "We had a couple of conversations on the phone together, and then Belushi died. Dan asked if he could come over and hang. So he flew over to England the day after the funeral, and we stayed together for three or four months." At 22 he started the first Hard Rock Cafe in London on Hyde Park Corner. Tigrett still owns a 1928 train carriage, Car 50, a family legacy which features carved teak panels from a Bangalore, India maharaja's 400-year-old palace. It once belonged to Louisiana Gov. Huey "Kingfish" Long. "This is a bizarre phenomenon," Tigrett said of Myrtle Beach. "I think the most unique statistic is that they say 90 percent of the people drive here, which is fantastic."

House of Blues locations include Cambridge, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Chicago and North Myrtle Beach with one set for Orlando this fall. The House of Blues is the most recent of a slew of theme restaurants to open on the Grand Strand, which the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce says is the second most popular tourist destination, second only to Orlando. In only the last six months Myrtle Beach has had grand openings of NASCAR Cafe, Official All-Star Cafe with Tiger Woods, Andre Agassi, Monica Seles, Ken Griffey Jr. and Luke Perry appearing and Planet Hollywood's last month grand opening featuring Bruce Willis and the Accelerators, Patrick Swayze, Will Smith, Dan Cortese and others.

Tim Bullard with Harry Wayne Casey (KC)

A $35 million Ripley's Sea Aquarium opened in July behind the Hard Rock Cafe at Broadway At The Beach, which features an IMAX Theatre and The Palace. On May 7 ZZ Top ("From Dusk Till Dawn" soundtrack) rocked from "Rhythmeen;" Keanu Reaves and Dogstar, who opened the Hard Rock, have performed. Harry Wayne Casey (K.C.) shook his bootie recently, talking about his estate in Chapel Hill and his appearance on "Oprah." "It was pretty cool. I've been on so many television shows," he said. "We're working on a new album. Hopefully it will be finished this year."

Lynyrd Skynyrd at House of Blues rehearsal backstage.

Goodman and Aykroyd are being directed by John Landis in a sequel to the 1980 smash. Look for Joe Morton (Speed, Terminator 2: Judgment Day) and Evan Bonifant (Three Ninjas Kick Back) heading the cast. Paul Bartel makes a cameo appearance. Returning are James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Steve Lawrence, Frank Oz, Kathleen Freeman and the members of the original Blues Brothers Band: Matt Murphy, Willie Hall, Lou Marini, Donald Dunn, Steve Cropper, Tom Malone, Alan Rubin and Murphy Dunne. Paul Shaffer is producing the music.

According to a news release, with his brother Jake and their surrogate father Curtis both dead, Elwood's only living relation is Curtis' son Cabel (Joe Morton)--Elwood's almost step-brother, a by-the-book police officer. "Paying a visit to his former teacher, Sister Mary Stigmata, who's now a hospital administrator, Elwood pledges to help Sister Mary in her latest crusade to raise funds for a children's hospital wing and serve as a "mentor" to an 11-year old orphan named Buster (Evan Bonifant). "Acknowledging that "the Lord works in mysterious ways," Elwood hits the road, with Buster in tow, determined to reassemble the old band and win the big prize at the New Orleans Battle of the Bands for the children's hospital. It's not long before they hook up with strip-joint bartender Mighty Mack McTeer (John Goodman), a guy who knows a thing or two about the blues himself.

"But the road to New Orleans proves to be bumpy for Elwood and company as they discover they not only must keep one step ahead of the cops, who are led by Cabel, but also the Chicago branch of the Russian Mafia and a rabidly right-wing militia group, who are both out for blood."

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