Starz, Encore Drama news: Tribute to Natasha Richardson, Wednesday April 8

By April MacIntyre Apr 3, 2009, 18:26 GMT

(FILES) A file picture shows Actress Natasha Richardson. This coming week Starz network will honor the work of the late Natasha Richardson with two great films on Wednesday, April 8th beginning at 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT) EPA/PETER FOLEY

Starz networks is an interesting animal in the array of smallscreen producers and providers of content.  It is not Hollywood-centric, but operates from Colorado. 

The network has put its big toe in the creative waters of sit-coms and dramas, coming up aces with great offerings like "Head Case", "Crash", "Party Down" and the much missed "Hollywood Residential."

New series "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" promises to appeal to those hooked on HBO's short-lived "Rome," and those looking for a bloody good realistic Gladiator tale. The Starz network announced that "after an exhaustive worldwide search," they selected Andy Whitfield, the British-born but Australian based actor who has appeared in "McLeod's Daughters" as the lead character.

Sister channel Encore Drama network runs the best in feature films too.

This coming week Encore Drama will honor the work of the late Natasha Richardson with two great films on Wednesday, April 8th beginning at 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT)

8:00 p.m. – Patty Hearst (1988)

Richardson stars as heiress Patty Hearst, granddaughter of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst, who was abducted in 1974 by American revolutionaries.  The film is directed by Paul Schrader and costars William Forsythe, Ving Rhames and Frances Fisher.

9:45 p.m. – The Handmaid’s Tale (1990)

In a futuristic America, this drama (directed by Volker Schlondorff) is set in a repressive, bible-inspired regime.  Richardson portrays Kate, who is guilty of the crime of trying to escape from the U.S. She is sentenced to become a Handmaid, whose job is to bear children of the man to whom she is assigned.