HOLLYWOOD — Don't be fooled. The Oscars are the original reality show. Actors and actresses at the 79th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday followed the same script this year: They played themselves, but, as they say in Hollywood-speak, with a heightened naturalness.

That means they dressed as we've come to expect for Oscar night, Hollywood's prom for grown-ups. The dresses were long and colorful; the jewels, large; the image, glamorous; the makeup, soft. And the surprises? Gone.

But even this reality show can't escape the behind-the-scenes product pushers who turn every thespian into a high-priced shill.

The men were men, but stars such as Leonardo Di Caprio, Djimon Hounsou and Alan Arkin set a precedent in formal neckwear with solid-color, four-in-hand ties. Traditional tuxedoes have vanished in favor of a more minimal dark suit.

Women were, well, goddesses, with some such as Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé and Kate Winslet reinterpreting the toga. With their slightly mussed, upswept or wind-tossed long tresses, the actresses went to great lengths to project an image of the earnest ingenue.

But what's with the fascination for strapless gowns? In every head shot from the ceremony, the women will look like they're naked from the neck up. Many wore the youthful strapless silhouette whether they had the muscle tone for it or not, avoiding the kind of heavy jewels associated with dowagers.

This may be a reality show, but everyone looks so polished, so rehearsed, it's hard to get any feeling that these stars have what it takes to make fashion go forward.

Nominee Penelope Cruz can do no wrong when it comes to her red carpet choices, and few stars played the part of Hollywood star better than the Spanish actress. The fitted bodice of her dusty pink looked very Versace, but the surprise was in the flurry of dense, feathery ruffles.

Cate Blanchett's shimmery gunmetal Armani Privé turned her into a living statuette. Perhaps that's why she zeroed in on it when she spotted it on the Paris runway in January. No other dress was considered thereafter. The second-skin gown softly suggested chic refinement and sex appeal. A soft chignon — a popular hairdo of the night — kept her silhouette sleek.

Rinko Kikuchi made headlines at January's Golden Globes when she took a page out of Bjork's style book with all those puff balls dangling off her Chanel gown. She was back in Chanel Oscar night, with a black sequin-embroidered gown.

Reese Witherspoon continued her newly single and fabulous streak in a bias-tiered aubergine strapless gown. It looked youthful and modern with little more than a fringe of long hair. Her season-long contract with the Paris house of Nina Ricci is paying off, and it appears designer Olivier Theyskens is just the man a stylish girl can count on — at least on the red carpet.

Even fashion icons can crash. Long the sartorial daredevil, Nicole Kidman did just that in a Balenciaga lipstick-red gown with an oversized bow that jutted out like some marine-animal appendage. The effect looked all the worse competing for shoulder space with those foot-long blond locks.

"The Devil Wears Prada," and so did Meryl Streep. But who could tell? It's as if the actress intentionally went anti-fashion. So the choice in all black is very fashion editor. Otherwise the silk coat and ethnic breastplate necklace blared intellectual art patron. Where's the Oscar night-glam in that? Even the undone hair seemed to be a further declaration that no stylist, even a hair stylist, had a hand in the night.

Between that springy 1950s hairdo and those multiple ropes of crystals, Lopez summoned Elizabeth Taylor in her Richard Burton-years glory. Who better to carry the torch? Like Liz, La Lopez has the star power and curves to pull off just about any (gorgeous) gown and can make nearly any designer look brilliant. Her jewel-draped gossamer gown by Marchesa finally gives English designers a certified hit.

At last, Gwyneth Paltrow has found a dress that fits, isn't transparent or somehow odd. In a pleated and gathered peach number, Paltrow does the delicate balancing act between sophisticated and sexy.

A little individualism is always welcome, but sometimes it can be too much. Rather than choose one jewel, Anne Hathaway admitted to piling it on — but there were one too many diamond bracelets on that skinny wrist.

Also in bling overload was Rachel Weisz, who should have left that Cartier broach-as-pendant in the vault. And "Cars" nominee John Lasseter's roadway tie gave new meaning to street wear.

Putting the "hot" in a hot pink Oscar de la Renta gown, Jessica Biel earned her place in Oscar infamy and in the fantasies of millions of men.