JIM HENSON'S SPIRIT PULLING STRINGS WITH FORMER STUDENT

JIM HENSON'S SPIRIT PULLING STRINGS WITH FORMER STUDENT

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (Wireless Flash) -- Muppeteer Jim Henson may be dead, but he's still pulling strings for a Beverly Hills puppeteer who claims Henson's spirit occasionally takes over his body. 45-year-old David Liebe-Hart -- who produces and hosts a cable access puppet show that has turned into a cult hit -- claims Henson takes over his body so his puppet voices won't sound alike. The low-budget kiddie show appears on 75 cable outlets and features home-made puppets who speak and sing Biblical verses set to unusual music. Liebe-Hart says the price for success has been a rash of puppet thefts -- a financial hardship, since his main income comes from his job as a substitute church organist.