First there was the mess of the Academy announcing a 'most popular film' award - a naked play for television viewers that seemed completely out of place at an event devoted to excellence. When there was an outcry, it was put it on hold.

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And it turned out to be unnecessary when three box office hits, Black Panther, A Star Is Born and surprisingly Bohemian Rhapsody, were nominated for best picture.

Then there was the fiasco of announcing Kevin Hart as host, losing him to a social media storm over past homophobic comments then deciding to go ahead without a host. Surely it was time to recruit any one of a score of deserving talents starting with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, who have excelled at the Golden Globes, Lin Manuel-Miranda or Donald Glover.

Three weeks ago, a decision to include only two nominees for best original song in the ceremony was quickly ditched after another backlash. All five will now be included.

And then came the worst decision of all - announcing that four awards would be handed out during commercial breaks for later insertion into the live telecast. As the Oscars scraps for credibility - trying to move past the #OscarsSoWhite and face up to #MeToo movements - it sidelined best cinematography, make-up and hairstyling, film editing and live-action short by livestreaming them while the theatre audience stretched their legs, chats amongst themselves or heads to the bathroom.

The justification for this disrespectful move was trimming the ceremony to three hours but most of the film industry - especially insulted cinematographers and editors - agreed with Russell Crowe that it was "a fundamentally stupid decision".

While the Golden Globes are a secondary event that get way too much coverage, the Oscars are the pinnacle. In the ideal world, they are the Olympics of film.

After days of protests the Academy backed down again, agreeing to present all awards during the ceremony as usual. But film lovers around the world have to ask: what the hell is going on?