DiCaprio says ‘Titanic’ made him want to quit acting

New York – The movie may have been a big hit. But “Titanic” made Leonardo DiCaprio want to give up acting.

DiCaprio was back to being considered a “another piece of cute meat” after the 1997 film’s spectacular box office success. And he told Newsweek that was an image he wanted to get away from after his days on the cover of teen magazines.

“It was pretty disheartening to be objectified like that. I wanted to stop acting for a little bit,” he said at the magazine’s Oscar panel discussion with other actors. “It changed my life in a lot of ways, but at the same time, I can’t say that it didn’t give me opportunities. It made me, for the first time, in control of my career.

“There’s no other art form in the world that affects me more. There’s nothing that I walk away from feeling transformed by the way I do with cinema,” he said.

DiCaprio starred in a cast featuring Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon and others in “The Departed,” which earned Martin Scorsese a Golden Globe for best director.

Crocodile hunter’s daughter onstage with animals

New York – The media-savvy 8-year-old daughter of the late “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin is doing her bit to promote her native Australia, adding music to her prowess with animals.

Bindi Irwin appeared on stage Saturday as part of the annual Australia Week tourism promotion, singing about snakes and eagles while fellow cast members held live animals.

At least one young audience member was inspired by Bindi’s show.

“I want to become a conservationist and go to Australia when I graduate from college,” said 7-year-old Megan Meyer.

Bindi’s father was killed by a stingray last fall while filming one of his popular television documentaries on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

At an appearance Friday in Washington, Bindi said she is ready to continue her father’s work spreading the wonder of wildlife.

“I’m going to become a wildlife warrior just like he was,” she said at the National Press Club.

‘Little Miss Sunshine’ named best film by Producers Guild

Los Angeles – “Little Miss Sunshine” beat back tough competition – “Babel,” “The Departed,” “Dreamgirls,” “The Queen” – to win the top feature film award from the Producers Guild of America.

The Producers Guild’s nod Saturday to “Little Miss Sunshine,” an offbeat, dark comedy, was even more of a surprise given that “Babel” won the award for best drama at last week’s Golden Globe ceremony and “Dreamgirls” won the Golden Globe for best comedy/musical.

Other winners:

¢ The road trip movie “Cars” from Disney-Pixar was chosen by the guild as best animated film.

¢ The award for episodic TV comedy went to “The Office,” while “Grey’s Anatomy” won in the drama category.

¢ The Producers Guild honored the HBO special “Elizabeth I” with its award for long-form television, while the HBO series “Real Time with Bill Maher” won for best variety television program.

¢ The long-running news magazine “60 Minutes” won a guild award for nonfiction television program.