Kate Bosworth's readings help her see Sandra Dee's other side.(The Orlando Sentinel)

Byline: Jay Boyar

When Kate Bosworth doesn't have her nose in a book, she's probably asking questions or taking notes.

Her job title may be "actress," but the 21-year-old star of "Blue Crush" and "The Rules of Attraction" thinks of herself as a student.

"I'm the kind of person who will research until there isn't any more to learn," says Bosworth, whose bio notes her membership in the National Honor Society.

"For me, it's just all about changing it up and learning different things," she says.

In recent months, Bosworth has spent a lot of time boning up for "Beyond the Sea," in which she plays teen-idol Sandra Dee opposite Kevin Spacey's Bobby Darin.

Back in the 1950s and early `60s, the pert, feisty Dee was a star of major proportions. She was the big screen's first Gidget, …