On the heels of the Oscar-winning success of last yearfs Ray, Universal Pictures has announced plans to take on another biopic in the same musical vein, this one centering on female, white soul artist, Dusty Springfield.

In relaying the news, The Hollywood Reporter hinted the film would gfocus primarily on Springfieldfs life in the e60s, culminating with the making of Dusty in Memphis,h the period during which "Dust," as her friends called her, became a wildly popular e60s icon nearly overnight with her blond beehive, kohl-smoldered eyelids and strong, soulful voice—a voice many couldnft believe came from an five-foot-three Irish catholic girl from the suburbs of London.

It wasnft until 1970, though, a bit after Dusty in Memphis (1969) hit record stores (and failed on the charts, but has since become a classic), that Springfield openly admitted she liked women as well as men, telling Londonfs Evening Standard, gI know Ifm as perfectly capable of being swayed by a girl as by a boy. More and more people feel that way and I donft see why I shouldnft.h

Considering how many light years ahead of her time making such a statement was then, no one can begrudge Springfield the fact that throughout much of her musical career, she either described herself as bisexual or declined to answer interrogations (which came often) about her sexuality. gMy relationships have been pretty mixed,h she told The New York Times Magazinefs Rob Hoerburger in 1995, gAnd Ifm fine with that. Whofs to say what you are... Itfs other people who want you to be something or other—this or that. Ifm none of the above. Ifve never used my relationships or illnesses to be fashionable, and I donft intend to start now.h

Will the film address the British singerfs acknowledged love affairs with women?

The project's director seems to imply that it will. Jessica Sharzer, who previously directed a short produced by the Hollywood lesbian networking association POWER UP, Fly Cherry, and a made-for-Showtime film, Speak, which played at Sundance in 2004 to great reviews, will be directing the film. Based on Sharzerfs previous association with POWER UP and Springfieldfs well-documented predilection for women, it seems very likely that Springfieldfs queer side will come out in the film, despite the fact it will concentrate on the period before the recording artist was publicly out.

When contacted about it, Sharzer, who is heading off to London to research Dustyfs life in her birth country for the script, told us that while she's still in the research phase, gwith respect to Dusty's lesbianism—we are not shying away from it at all.h She couldnft say much more, given that the film is still in early stages of production, but this alone is enough to stir up anticipation for what will be one of few big budget biography films of legendary women that either address or explicitly imply their queer sexualities (joining the likes of 1933fs Queen Christina and 2002fs Frida).

After Springfieldfs death from breast cancer in 1999, a recent biography, Dancing With Demons: The Authorized Biography of Dusty Springfield, by her friends Penny Valentine and her longtime manager Vicki Wickham (also manager of such acts as Morrissey, Marc Almond, and Patty Labelle), was crystal-clear on the subject of the music starfs lesbian sexuality.

Wickham, who is serving as a consultant on the Dusty Springfield film, met Springfield in 1962. The two women, both queer, became fast friends and stayed friends through out Springfieldfs life, as Wickham reminisced to the Sunday Express in 2000: gWe both knew we were gay right from the start and I think that helped enormously. We were totally platonic, though, which I think is why it lasted. We really were just mates and because of that she could tell me about her affairs and I could tell her about mine.h

Born Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette OfBrien in 1939fs London, Dusty was educated in a Roman Catholic convent where she reportedly informed the nuns early on that she wanted to be a jazz singer when she grew up. Dubbed a childhood tomboy by her mum and dad in a 1965 New Musical Express interview entitled, fittingly gMary was a Tom-Boy,h Dusty was considered something of an pariah as a youngster, who spent a lot of her time wearing out the grooves on her dadfs pop, jazz, and blues records, loving especially the tunes of Ella Fitzgerald and Peggy Lee.

The West Wingfs Kristin Chenoweth, who is slated to play the British singer in the upcoming biopic, referenced Springfieldfs awkward childhood and resulting fragile ego as a way she found into the character: gShe was very, very insecure, she grew up a chubby kid with acne in England, and was kind of an outcast who always went home and listened to her records. I understand that. Everybody tells me, gYou seem so confident, like you have the world by a string.h But I donft care who you are—if youfre a creative person, you are insecure. Thatfs what we draw from.h

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