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SILENCE OF THE HAMS: A few weeks ago, we wondered if Ted Danson and Whoopi Goldberg would answer questions about their relationship at the L.A. press junket for their comedy, Made in America, opening May 28. When the duo finally appeared before reporters last week, they cleverly sidestepped the issue. Danson responded to queries about Goldberg by lifting a sign from his lap that read ''Personal.'' Which was Whoopi's cue to hold up a placard saying ''Next Question.'' -Melina Gerosa REUNITED: Former sweethearts Sarah Jessica Parker and Robert Downey Jr. may be getting back together, but only on screen. They're both interested in starring in the film version of Stephen McCauley's acclaimed 1987 novel, The Object of My Affection. The stars, who have stayed friends since ending their seven-year relationship in 1991, will portray the novel's unwed mother-to-be and her gay roommate, if their schedules allow. Producer Laurence Mark (The Adventures of Huck Finn), who has been nurturing the project since 1990, thinks it will finally get off the ground: ''We've got a script by Wendy Wasserstein and Paramount on our side. That just might do the trick.'' -Jess Cagle
IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN: What's in a name? Legal problems, if you're the rock parody group Green Jello. The L.A.-based band, whose Cereal Killer album is now a top 30 hit, has changed its name to Green Jelly to appease the General Foods Corp., makers of Jell-O. ''It's so stupid,'' says lead singer Bill Manspeaker, a.k.a. the Moronic Dictator. ''They think there will be confusion. When was the last time you spent $14 for Jell-O?'' Still, Green Jelly is having the last laugh in concert. Band members spell out their new name to the tune of the Mickey Mouse Club song. ''When we get to Y, we shout, 'Why?' And the audience screams back, 'Because you got sued!''' Manspeaker says. -Meredith Berkman
THE PLAY'S THE THING: Angels in America, the Pulitzer Prize-winning play that opens on Broadway this week, is headed for the silver screen. Robert Altman, who has become a Player again thanks to that film's critical and box office success, has reportedly been tapped to direct Tony Kushner's drama about AIDS, politics, and lawyer Roy Cohn. With Altman now attached, sources say, Jodie Foster has expressed interest in the pivotal role of the angel, while Al Pacino and Dustin Hoffman are being mentioned for Cohn. -Ryan Murphy
NEW YORK WOMAN: Julia Roberts is back among the living. After a yearlong self- imposed exile, the actress is scheduled to film both The Pelican Brief and I Love Trouble this year. She also reportedly has moved to Manhattan and is taking aerobics classes at a downtown bodybuilders' gym. ''She didn't hang back at all,'' says one classmate of Roberts. ''She took her place in the middle of the room, and she had no problems keeping up.'' After her workout, the actress was spotted strolling down an East Village street sans sunglasses or bodyguards. Seen-it-all New Yorkers just let her walk on by. -Casey Davidson
