The Take-Over Battle in May 2007

The Battle over A Bouquet for a Kill in May 2007

During May shooting I realized more and more Lydie had planned to push me out of my own project. After completing short version in April Lydie, Roswitha and I have met in a restaurant and we agreed that we are going to shoot a 90 minute version. I wanted to wait with shooting till Cannes Filmfestival was over as we were trying to get more money to do it bigger, but Lydie insisted we had to start as soon as possible with the 90 minute version and she already had talked to Michael Worth her former co-star of Acapulco H.E.A.T. to come over to Germany in early may.
Later Lydie and Roswitha claimed this meeting had never took place and they never agreed to shoot with me a long version, but there are witnesses who can confirm. We met at Lydie´s birthday at a German Freemason´s Lodge to celebrate Lydie´s birthday and Lydie and Roswitha there told everyone we had agreed to shoot the 90 minute version, that Michael Worth will come from Los Angeles and Lydie even told Hans-Jürgen we need to shoot new scenes at his apartment what they finally did in may.

Lydie went back to Paris and I prepared the may shooting in Berlin.
I was shocked when Lydie mailed me a new 48 page version of my original around 100 page script. This was far too short for a 90 minute movie and her re-writes made no sense at all. I discussed this with Michael Worth and he agreed on most of what I said. (I still have all the emails). Michael Worth who is also an experienced producer and I emailed about the questions what camera and technical equipment we are going to use and Lydie went furious when she learend Michael Worth and I discussed script and technics. Lydie had abolutley no knowledge of HD cameras, PAl, NTSC standards, 24p or 25p and Michael Worth knew all about and so I considered it a good idea to discuss this with Michael but Lydie insisted she as a director has to decide who is allowed to talk to whom about what. I am the producer and I do not take orders from directors unless they are Alfred Hitchcock or Lubitsch.

When I did not Greenlight Lydie´s new scriptversion she run amok and started shooting without my permit and Roswitha supported her. Lydie obviously had already made plans to push me out of the project and had talked to Avi Lerner behind my back. First she had told me she wanted Avi Lerner to come in as a co-producer to get additional money to do it better and bigger but I realized she wanted Avi Lerner to come in to buy me out.

She mailed me an email asking me to give her all my receipts and claimed Avi Lerner had asked her to do so. I did not believe her.
She finally admitted she wanted Avi to buy me out and then emailed me a new contract she had wrtiten and wanted me to sign the project over to her. (She had realized she cannot take the project to Mr Lerner as long as I own the copyright).

Lydie wanted me to leave the project and give her all the rights. She wanted only to give me a coproducer´s credit and she even wanted all the writer´s credits for herself, leaving me just a credit "based on an idea by Michael Huck". If you are a little bit familiar with copyright laws you probably know according to US copyright law "ideas" cannot be protected. Nice try, Denier.

The second trap she wrote into that contract was that she has to fully reimbourse me in the event if the long version is sold to American Television. Looks good at first but isn´t if you know that most low budget productions are never sold to television and only distributed on dvd or video. So in this case she could have made lots of money with dvd sales and I would not get one cent IF NOT SOLD TO AMERICAN TELEVISION. I alsow would get nothing according to this conctract if sold to German, French or other television.(However she made a mistake again and did write American television NOT US, so what if sold to Brazil ???) Then there are some clauses like the sum will not exceed $ 5000 . I have spent much more than this sum on the project. And what about Jörg and Vonny who also invested in the movie and cast and crew?
Actually in the worst case neither I nor anyone else besides Lydie would get money. Not a good contract.
Jörg and I set up another contract which made sure everyone involved in the short and long version would get a share of profits in case the long version is made and sold. Lydie had not to pay one cent in advance, only if sold but then everyone would get a share. Lydie refused to sign this contract and I refused to sign hers.

So all the work cast and crew did on this project so far did not get us anywhere.
It is my job as a producer to somehow release this project.

photo: Copyright 2007 by Jörg Peter

The Fight over A Bouquet for a Kill Part 3

A Bouquet for Kill
The Fight over A Bouquet for a Kill, Part 3

In February 2007 we started shooting the English version of "Du sollst nicht Ehebrechen!" entitled The Other Women, later re-titled A Bouquet for a Kill .
I had changed the ending. Lydie who did star and direct had changed the ending
again and I liked Lydie´s new ending.
Lydie had also changed the beginning. In the first versions Mrs Tanner and
Sybille / Sarah first talk for a long time, then Mrs. Tanner takes Sarah prisoner.
In the new English version, Mrs. Tanner overpowers Sarah right at the beginning and
ties her up. I also liked this change as it made the story more suspenseful.

The rest of the story was by and large the same, but I realized while shooting Lydie did start telling around she had totally re-written my script and the new script has nothing to do with my original Unhappy End! story and she tried to convince herself it´s true. When she finally realized this is not working as I can prove I did the same story two times before in Germany (and a copy is at Register of Copyrights) she tried to make me sign over the copyright to her and when I refused she finally started telling the stalker story.

Even if you have not watched yet all 3 versions of the story, only have a look at the photos and you will realize the story is very much the same. I have no idea what Lydie is trying to achieve. It´s if someone takes Romeo and Juliette and changes the ending and makes them marry and re-arrange the poison scene and starts with that scene and then claims now it´s not anymore William Shakespeare´s.

photos above: stills from shooting A Bouquet for a Kill and some photos of Lydie Denier taken for PR to promote A Bouquet for a Kill.

All photos are Copyright 2007 by Jörg Peter

The Fight over A Bouquet for a Kill Part 2

Unhappy End! Episode 19: Die Hexe
The Fight over A Bouquet for a Kill Part 2

In 2002 I had met with Lydie Denier in Hollywood and showed her an expose of our old German Unhappy End! episode 2, Du sollst nicht Ehebrechen. Lydie liked it and I promised her to come back with an English script. I entitled the script The Other Woman and Lydie also liked the script and we signed a Letter of Intent that we are going to shoot a movie together based on my and Jean Bork´s script. Lydie would star and direct and I produce. We met several times in Los Angeles and Paris to discuss script and cast. In the English version the wife was still named Stephanie Tanner (only the h was missing because in English Th(anner) would have been pronounced Sanner) but I changed the young woman´s name from Sybille to Sarah Lamarr. Sarah because I loved the Buffy-the Vampire Slayer tv show starring Sarah-Michelle Gellar and Lamarr because Lydie loves Hedy Lamarr so much.

In the meantime when I was back in Germany I re-shot a German version of the story this time entitled "Die Hexe" (The Witch) . We used almost the same script. I did this for seeing how to set up lights and camera best and I also used two cameras, my SVHS Panasonic MS 4 and a new digital camcorder from JVC as I intented to start shooting digital. We also shot "Die Hexe" in the same apartment we also rented later to shoot the English version with Lydie. As I knew by then already that Lydie will star in the English version, I placed a copy of a magazine with Lydie on the cover on a table in the apartment. If you watch "Die Hxe" you´ll might notice.
Katja Bienert and Mona Glass did star in "Die Hexe".

Above you´ll see some of the photos of "Die Hexe".
All photos copyright by Michael Huck

The Fight over the A Bouquet for a Kill 1

Unhappy End! Episode 2 Du sollst nicht Ehebrechen
The Fight over A Bouquet for a Kill Part 1

As you already know, Lydie Denier and I shot "A Bouquet for a Kill" from February 2007 till May 2007. Lydie went behind my back, contacted Avi Lerner and asked him to buy me out. When I refused to sign her take-over contract, she and Roswitha claimed I have nothing to do with the movie. Roswitha´s lawyer wrote a letter to my lawyer claiming it is NOT my story and not my production but Lydie Denier´s. They even laimed I have not be present while shooting! And finally Lydie accused me to be a crazy stalker and not a producer.

"A Bouquet for a Kill" is my baby. It´s my project. It is based on a German script we did many years ago and that´s why I can prove it is my project. We shot the German script already in the 1990s, years before I met Lydie Denier. Jean Bork and I wrote the script together. It is about a jealous wife, Mrs Tanner (played by Ingrid Littmann) who learns her husband has an affair with a much younger woman. The wife goes over to the young woman´s place and begs her to stop the affair with her husband. When the young woman refuses, the wife beats her up, ties her up and gags her and finally kills her. Then the mailman brings a letter of her husband. The wife reads the letter and realizes her husband just had decided to end the affair. Jean Bork played the part of the young lover and the Episode of the Unhappy End! series is entitled "Du sollst nicht Ehebrechen!" The Episode has been releasen in German speaking countries in 1999 on VHS, later on DVD.

Above you see some of the photos of the German version starring Jean and Ingrid.
All photos Copyright by Michael Huck

The Restraining Order

The Restraining Order

This is the Restraining Order. Lydie finally found a certain Judge Rosenberg at Santa Monica Court who believed her fairy tales and gave her this Restraining Order.

Let me tell you one thing: I consider this a serious matter. Judge Rosenberg declared me a dangerous, armed stalker based on false evidence (The manipulated Cannae email) and Lydie Denier´s lies (that Berlin Police searched my apartment and found the place "littered" with Denier photos). I am now in the computers of all US states as a dangerous maniac. So I consider this a really serious matter and I do not intent of making fun of Judge Gerald Rosenberg or Santa Monica Court.

So why am I writing this: Lydie Denier - assisted by Judge Rosenberg and Santa Monica Court - tries to damage my reputation by giving TMZ and other media the information about the Restraining Order and telling the world that I am a dangerous stalker. My reputation is already bad enough. Most critics who wrote about my projects put me in a row with Ed Wood. (o.k. I love Ed Wood, I can live with that.)

But it is me who decides if and how I have to defend my reputation, so I want to write here just some of my thoughts on the Restraining Order, Santa Monica Court and Judge Rosenberg and how they handle this case.

First let´s have a look at this Restraining Order. Judge Rosenberg believed Lydie I am a stalker, right? He made a decision and he mailed me that I am NOT allowed to try to find out Lydie´s address, right?
Hm... Look at the court papers they mailed to me. Page 1: They mailed me Lydie´s address !!! (I did black it out so no real stalker will visit Lydie)I do not think it is Lydie´s real address, but even if it is only the address of a friend or a mailing address, CAN YOU BELIEVE THEY MAILED HER ADDRESS TO ME ???

If I were a R E A L stalker , that´s all I needed. A real stalker could now go to this address or mailbox and just wait till Lydie comes along picking up her mail from...Santa Monica court!

O.K. I think you´ll understand that from right here my confidence in Santa Monica Court is Z E R O .

I wrote I do not blame Ms Denham from Santa Monica Court and Judge Rosenberg that they believed Lydie is stalked by a maniac. Almost every actress is stalked by some maniac, so till here it makes sense if an actress comes to court and pleads for help because a stalker is after her that they try to help her.

But NOW : Lydie told them GERMAN POLICE IN BERLIN did investigate. Great ! German Police involved ! There must be a file in Germany on the case !!!

A Judge has to make important decisions. Often based on what people tell him. That´s difficult. But in this case, Lydie told them there is already a Police file and told them I have threatened to kill her in G E R M A N Y .

To find out what happened, how dangerous this stalker might be or to see if Lydie really tells the truth - actually it is a serious matter to accuse someone to have threatened to kill - all Judge Rosenberg and Ms Denham had to do is to pick up a phone and call German police in Berlin. The file is in the computer and most is in English, German police could have emailed the file within seconds and Judge Rosenberg and Ms Denham could have learned

THAT:

- German Police did never search my apartment

- Lydie Denier and I did shoot "A Bouquet for a Kill" from February 2007 till
May 2007, exactly the time she claimed I had stalked her

- the email Lydie showed them was falsified : the original Cannae emai IS in
the German Police file

- Lydie tried to take over my project and take it to Avi Lerner

- I did sent German Police after Lydie after she did not return my tapes

I admit this is a horrible complicated case, but if Ms Denham and Judge Rosenberg had done their homework they would at least have found out that there must be something wrong with Lydie Denier´s tales of terror.

However Judge Rosenberg and Ms Denham never really cared and instead declared me a dangerous stalker.
THEY HAVE NO PROOF! And they did not bother to get in touch with German Police to find out what is going on, they just supported Denier in damaging my reputation in
giving her a restraining order having ABSOLUTELY NO EVIDENCE that what Lydie told them is the truth.

I was informed two days before the hearing of the Hearing and had not time and opportunity to talk to someone at Santa Monica court. I am in Germany and they notified me two days before the Hearing and when I called them no one was willing to talk to me and all they let me know was I should get a lawyer.
Can you think of something more Kafkaesque ? You get mail from a faraway place like China and they write you they accuse you to be a dangerous maniac and they invite you to come over within 48 hours ???

I have absolutely no confindence in this court and I wrote to Governor Schwarzenegger to please let LASD investigate as I know they know how to do their job and I have total confindence in LASD .

I repeat: I am INNOCENT . I did not pull a gun on Lydie Denier and I didn´t threaten to kill her. Lydie did falsify evidence and did lie to Judge Rosenberg. I am not a stalker and Lydie tried to take over my movie to take it to Avi Lerner. That´s why we fight. Lydie enlisted Santa Monica court to fight me and to get rid of me and Judge Rosenberg so far does not understand what is going on and that Lydie only U S E S him and Santa Monica Court in her fight over our movie against me.

I also ask any newspaper or website who wants to help me to distribute all evidence I have to get in touch with me at MichaelMHuck@aol.com

Maybe Judge Rosenberg will realize what is going on if he sees the evidence in the newspapers if SMC is not willing or able to investigate on their own.
It is NOT my job to prove I am innocent. It is the job of Judge Rosenberg to find out who is the bad guy or - in this case - bad girl.

Lydie tries to ruin my reputation, so I will tell anyone who wants to know what really happened and give you all the evidence you need to know.

Sincerely Yours,

Michael Huck

photo above: that´s me.

The Stalker Docu

The Stalker Docu

Lydie Denier accused me to be a stalker. I am not. I am a producer. That´s why I strike back with this lovely docu. Coming in February 2010 (around Berlin Filmfestival) you can finally watch this extraordinary documentation on shooting A Bouquet for a Kill with Lydie Denier. The Thriller behind the Thriller.
I personally read the court papers with French accent! Hurrah!

Why do I make fun of Lydie and her stalking fairy tales?
Because it´s funny!!! I simply could not resist to do so. I take the whole matter serious of course. Acutally I´m in the computers of all United States as a stalker, that´s quite serious. And Lydie found a judge at Santa Monica Court who believed her fairy tales. But this will not last forever. I mailed them a copy of our outtakes and lots of evidence and sooner or later even Judge Gerald Rosenberg at Santa Monica court will have to admit charming Lydie did fool them.
I did not do the things Lydie told about me. I am innocent and I always told the truth, so I do not care how many lies Lydie is telling, sooner or later even her greatest fans will have to realize what is going on.

This docu might help, so just order it at MichaelMHuck@aol.com and decide for your own. Listen to me while I read the courtpapers and watch what I have to say and then decide yourself. As Lydie tries to damage my reputation I only can fight back and tell what really happened.

I already wrote that I still have a high regard for Lydie as an actress and this will not change no matter how this fight will end.
However I want to tell you now what I think of Lydie as a person after I had the pleasure to shoot and work with her for quite a long time.

Lydie did try to push me out of my movie. She went behind my back talking to some of the actors and crew asking them to support her to push me out of my project and then taking it to Avi Lerner. She still took my money and let me pay for her flights and Health inusurance in may 2007 when she already worked hard behind my back to take the picture to Avi Lerner. I consider this disgusting.
Lydie and her German "friends" met without me celebrating to have pushed me out and going to Avi Lerner when the editor went over to them and told them they can forget about it as he will not give Lydie the dvd without my permit.

Lydie then started to get real mean. I consider her a coward. She did not talk to me to get things straight. She betrayed the whole cast and crew who believed in her and she run away. She asked Roswitha to let her lawyer write a letter to my lawyer claiming I had offended and threatened ROSWITHA (!!!!!) with the Cannae email. (The mail I wrote to Lydie, remember?) She also made them write that I am not the copyrightowner. (I shot the story years before Lydie and I met in German language and the English script is registered as early as 2003 at Register of Copyrights. It´s my and Jean Bork´s script). Lydie again acted like a coward and did hide behind Roswitha.

When this did no work she run to Santa Monica court and found honorable Judge Gerald Rosenberg who believed her fairy tales and gave her a Restraining Order. I can imagine Lydie was certainly convincing playing the helpless, charming stalking victim. (Hey, we are talking about Lydie Denier, martial arts expert who did more than 100 action shows. I have been a Tannenberg soldier and I consider her extremly dangerous, especially if she is running amok and believe me: I´ve seen her running amok). But I still consider her a coward as she does what she always did: hiding behind someone else and this time it is judge Gerald Rosenberg and his restraining order.
What Lydie did was extremely mean. She did offend everyone who is really stalked by some maniac. As far as I´m concerned, she did accuse me wrongly but I am not afraid of her. First, Lydie´s fairy tales already did fire back on her and many people understood already she did not tell the truth and sooner or later everyone will know the truth.
Second, stupid as it may sound, this strange PR helps me to get be better known in the US and in the end will help me hopefully to sell more of our excellent dvds of our series Unhappy End!, Nightmare Follies and The 7 Nightmares Girl starring the most beautiful actresses and models you can dream of, half the age of Lydie but twice as beautiful (and you should ask yourself: If I work with all those beautiful girls most of them here in Berlin and Germany, WHY should I stalk 45 year old Lydie all around the world??? Hey, I´ve seen her WITHOUT MAKE-UP !!! Get serious !!!)
You see that´s not the point. I wanted to work with Lydie because I loved her as an actress and because I understood she is not only a good actress but her more than 20 years Hollywood experience is priceless. If we had shot more projects together we could have made some nice little thrillers Terence Fisher or Alfred Hitcock style. This was the reason I wanted to work with Lydie. I did not care that she was not anymore 25 . I loved Peter Cushing, James Stewart, Charles Trenet, Maurice Chevalier, Sinatra and Dean Martin even more when they grew older. I love Barbara Eden today as much as I did love her when I was 10 years old and watched her the first time in I dream of Jeanny. If you like an actor or an actress age does not really matter.

I also want to say here some words on LASD . The last couple of weeks I had not only to deal with Santa Monica court but also with LASD and I can say it is always a pleasue to talk to officers or deputies of Sheriff Baca´s LASD. Inspite of the fact they also could not know what was going on at first and only knew what Lydie told Santa Monica court they took the time to look in their computers and to listen to me. When I called or emailed or faxed them there was always someone getting immediately back to me and have a look at the problem. If you are in Los Angeles and someone accusses you to have done something and you are innocent, stay away from court and try to talk to someone of LASD.

Sincerely Yours,

Michael Huck

Email atttachment to Laurel & Hardy Files

This is the email to the Laurel & Hardy files.
photo: Lydie, Oliver and Jörg shooting "A Bouquet for a Kill"
photo: copyright 2007 by Michael Huck