Spanish actress Penelope Cruz, nominated for an Oscar for best actress in a leading role for her work in Volver, arrives for the 79th Academy Awards Sunday in Los Angeles.

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, Beyonce 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.