Daily News from New York, New York • 171

If Lyle Menendez SOUND BITES Could be Savage Fall colors: Clergy goes upstate to talk race ur prayers are answered. As we speak (almost constantly about those Menendez brothers, on trial for murder), CBS is beginning to cast the huge made-for-TV movie on the dysfunctional brothers, who claim to have been sexually abused by their pop now dead at their hands. OUL SEARCH CHURCH: Need to do a little soul-searching about racism? Then for heaven's sake, dont do it in the Big Apple, We don't envy casting director Sue Blestein. Don't forget now, it's not going to be easy to find anyone to play 25-year-old Lyle Menendez a plotting bad boy with a terrible toupe. The list includes are you ready C.

Thomas Howell, Kevin Dillon, Jason Gedrick, Ashley Hamilton, (the new hubby of plotting bad girl Shan-nen Doherty), and, the best of all, Fred For the part of his brother, Eric: Ethan Hawke, Chad Lowe, and (yes!) our favorite, Doogie Howser, M.D., Neil Patrick Harris. For the part of the pop Jose Menendez: Nick Mancu-so or king-of-the-miniseries Armand Assante. If it were Fred Savage and Doogie Howser, we would be so happy, we'd go into a coma. We have already told our one perfect child that even if she's in the middle of final exams at college, she must drop everything and come home to watch this miniseries with us. If she can't, well she can just find somewhere else to live.

Reader Ryder Rhetorical question: Is it easier to read a book or simply buy the rights to one. If you're from Hollywood, you buy product, baby. Winona Ryder, you'll be happy to know, has bought the rights to the Louisa May Alcott novel "Little Women," about four daughters growing up in New England during the Civil War. It's really not surprising when you consider that Ryder's mother, Cindy Horowitz, wrote a biography of Alcott But what is surprising is that Ryder, who's riding high because of her performance in "The Age of Innocence," now has so much clout that when presented with a list of directors for "Little Women," she nixed "Rudy" director David Anspaugh, we hear. Although her reps claimed that "she's not a part of the project officially" and that there are "no deals" and "no studio" has made a commit- ment, Columbia Pictures acknowledged that the film is in development there.

A source close to the project told us that Ryder's going full speed ahead and will produce the flick with Denise DiNovi We also hear that she cried at the screening of "Rudy" and is now rethinking about Anspaugh as the director. If she had attended the premier in South Bend, (along with guests), she would have noticed, that other people like him, too. But then again, how hard is it to get people in South Bend to show up at a premiere? New Image for Ice Top-selling "churban" (contemporary hit urban) group Color Me Badd has incorporated the help of gangsta rapper Ice Cube to direct its newest video, "Time and Chance." We're not sure, but we hear Ice thought their first hit, "I Wanna Sex You Up," would have gone platinum quicker if it were called "I Wanna You Up." Taking on Color Me Badd, hip-hop's version of light music may, in fact, be the first step in the Iceman cometh-ing clean-cut We hear in fart, that his people are going to talk to Disney's people about some parts in family-oriented flicks. Guess Who? Somehow or other, these pics and this story got eaten by the new computer system the other day and much to our surprise didn't show up in our column yesterday. Better late than missing altogether.

US magazine, which is almost meaner than we are, found this early and really unfortuate picture of Playboy centerfold and Guess girl Anna Nicole Smith, whose famous curves seem to be alarmingly missing. This is odd, given that Smith has sworn up and down that her curves are an act of God and an early pregnancy. US tells us that the pic was taken shortly after the birth of her child. Hillary In Four Republicans are forward thinkers very forward thinkers. And worriers.

At a meeting last week of Republican honchos. they were already worrying about Hillary Rodham Clinton and when not if she'd run for the big office. The one her husband now occupies. The talk was that the husband who is always running anyway, will run again for sure in '96. which would take him to the year 2000.

Since they wouldn't want it to appear like a dynasty or anything. Hillary would have to lay off till the next go-round, in 2004. However, the GOPs figure, if a Dem were the incumbent, she'd have to wait till 2008 for her bid to be Prez. This may all seem alarmingly paranoid of the GOPs but then again, Hillary Clinton is, of course, the most popular person in the White House right now. Glamour magazine's November issue proves it They say that Hillary's biography, "Hillary: Her True Story" (sure), has sold 38,800 copies, while Bill's bio, "The Comeback Kid: The Life and Career of Bill Clinton" (the big oy'X sold only 27,551, and best of all Al Bore's bio "Al Gore Jr: His Life and Career" (we which has been exploding for the past several years.

Do it in the tiny upstate hamlet of Ellenville. That's where 70 members of the clergy in the Partnership of Faith will convene for two days next week. The topic: "Beyond a Divided City: Clergy Dialogue." This is the group that was supposed to be an aggressive monitor of low-level remarks in this year's election. What they've been aggressive about is keeping a low profile. So low, they're going upstate to vent among themselves BILLY CLUB: Today at 4 30.

Billy Joel becomes the 30th person, and only the second entertainer (and definitely the shortest) to be inducted into the Madison Square Garden "Walk of Fame" along with likes of Mohammad AIL Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Bradley. Jesse Owens, Michael Jordan and Joe Fraxier. Let's get the hate mail rolling with this tidbit Not one New York Ranger has been inducted RUBBING BACKS: Bill Zanker. the man who put the adult in education when he founded the Learning Annex, is now taking backrubs mainstream. He's launching "The Great American BackRub," a storefront massage parlor on 57th and Third, and is looking for really stressed out people to get the royal treatment when the legit joint opens Oct 18-For $795 you can get a massage fully clothed.

What can you get for a lCv, yf' -5S(v 7 1 A -j Ji Sis I ami 'is- f. 1 'mi I Hi, I WimMv personally cant wait to get our hands on that page-turner), sold only an embarrassing 8,135. But we have it all figured out The Republicans can pull out the 2004 presidential election by running Barbara Bosh's dog, Millie. The dog's book sold 345,000. That makes the dog nearly 10 times more popular than the person the GOP fears most Better than 40 times more popular than the current VP.

Of course, by then, the dog (if it's not already dead) would be like 7,000 years old in dog years, which was about Ronald Reagan's age when he took office. o. RAT WEMMOI US WOaonNt, ID 8 Iba two sida of Anna Nicole Smith.