AN 'AMERICAN' BAND

It was a little like the wedding in GoodFellas. But at the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award ceremony, instead of newlyweds Henry and Karen Hill, it was honoree Martin Scorsese at the dais. And instead of relatives named Peter, Paul, and Marie, it was celebrities named Joe (Pesci), Robert (De Niro), and Jodie (Foster) who lined up to bestow...no, not envelopes full of cash, but compliments. The evening, hosted by Casino's Sharon Stone, brought so many well-wishers, Scorsese could hardly enjoy the dinner of pasta e fagiole, lemon-and-garlic chicken, and Sicilian rum cake, all made to order from the recipes of his late mother, Catherine. ''It's like having Rembrandt in our midst,'' gushed GoodFella's Paul Sorvino. After giving a speech to a TV crew, The Age of Innocence star Winona Ryder blushed about summing up the ''genius'' of Scorsese. ''I sounded like a complete Valley Girl,'' she moaned. ''I wonder if I can do it over.'' Among the nice guys, of course, were a few wise guys. James Woods roasted Scorsese for wearing bell-bottoms ''starched to the consistency of sheet metal'' on the Casino set. And Don Rickles kidded about Martin's shortness. ''Would somebody get him a phone book [to sit on], so I can see him.'' As one of Scorsese's most memorable characters might say: Are you talking to me?