You're right, the more forums you post this in, the better chance of getting an answer
Do you depress the brake pedal before trying to depress the button on the shifter?
Usually the brake pedal and 'Park' on the auto trans shifter are linked so that you can't take the car out of park without depressing the brake pedal first.
BTW, forcing the car out of park without depressing the brake pedal can potentially damage the mechanism.