95 Thunderbird won't shift outta park after it's started

I have a 1995 Ford Thunderbird LX. With a V8 4.6 engine.
Recently I decovered that the gear shift (located on the floor) would not come out of the Park postition once the car was started.
Now the whole back end of the car (all three brake lights) are not lighting up at all.A mechanic friend of mine told me about this brake shift interlock thing. And that from what I was describing to him sounded like it was a safe bet that that is what my problem is. So i'll give you a run down on what it's doing and what i've done so far.

It's doing.
Won't shift out of park unless the key is in one certain position
My car starter won't dis-engage with the key turning forward then back or out for that matter. It won't dis-engage when the brake is pressed either. It has to be shut off with the remote.
My car door locks are not locking when the brake is pressed once it's started right away anymore. They do lock sometimes but not when they are supposed to.
My hazard lights are acting screwy and sometimes they come on with no problems and other times only one in the front is lighting up and the other 3 are not.

I've done.
I've asked as many ppl I know that knows anything about cars what could be causing it and got a few answers. They've all been ruled out except the brake interlock.
I have checked my fuses and the stop/hazard fuse it fine.
what i'm basically looking for is for someone to tell me where to look and what to look at next for this brake shift interlock thing. And possibly a ball park estimate on how much something like this would cost to repair.
my friend told me it's some sort of rod thing that when your brake is pressed goes into something else and completes the circuit therefore suppling power to both my back lights and my gear shifter. Sounds like my problem for sure. But where the heck is this rod thing and how hard is it to replace?
an answer as soon as possible would be appreciated since now that I know about the brake lights I will not drive it after dark. Plus my inspection is up the end of this month.

Thanks :D