Oscar Whiskey Tango Foxtrot: film
① The Academy Awards, to be held on Sunday night, have seen their ratings slip from 44m in 2014 to about 27m in 2018, prompting Donald Trump to tweet, "Lowest rated Oscars in HISTORY. Problem is, we don't have Stars anymore—except your President (just kidding, of course)!"
② Efforts to slow this decline have been almost as embarrassing as Mr Trump's tweet.
③ In August, an Academy Award for "Outstanding Achievement in Popular Film" was proposed, then scrapped.
④ Comedian Kevin Hart was named as host, but he withdrew after homophobic tweets resurfaced, and the Academy announced that the Oscars would not have a host at all.
⑤ Last week, it emerged that awards for editing, cinematography and other lower-profile categories would be consigned to commercial breaks, but that decision was reversed as well.
⑥ With all the makings of a fiasco, tonight's ceremony will be a nailbiter, but not so much for the nominees as for the organisers.
