The Selma Controversy Continues
What you need to know: The Hollywood Reporter’s yearly tradition of inviting Oscar voters to (anonymously) break down their ballots made waves this week with its latest installment, in which a veteran female publicist voiced her frank and frequently frustrating opinions on Best Picture nominee Selma. In the published conversation, the voter criticizes both the film for its lack of “art” and goes so far as to admonish the filmmakers (including overlooked director Ava DuVernay) for “stirring up shit” by wearing “I Can’t Breathe” t-shirts at the film’s New York premiere.
What Tribeca says: Let’s redirect any and all Academy-related exasperation towards seeing and supporting Selma, which, Oscar or no Oscar, remains a brilliant and vital piece of moviemaking.

Original Birdman Takes Back His Namesake
What you need to know: Sesame Street's Big Bird and veteran puppeteer Caroll Spinney, who has voiced the legendary children's television character for 45 years, have teamed up for an ingenious Birdman parody called "Big Birdman" that nails everything from the existential angst to the famous one-shot take.
What Tribeca says: Michael Keaton, you've been warned...

Started From the Bottom, Now They’re Here
What you need to know: Gawker’s Rich Juzwiak has compiled a thorough and thoroughly hilarious collection of this year’s acting nominees in their first on-screen appearances. Click above to see Best Actress frontrunner Julianne Moore playing identical half-sisters on As the World Turns or Best Actor nominee Michael Keaton in a particularly silly clip from Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood or fourteen-year-old Ethan Hawke acting opposite a group of talking, plastic alien puppets.
What Tribeca says: You truly haven’t lived until you’ve seen Emma Stone perform a highly spirited rendition of Meredith Brooks’ “Bitch” on the 2004 reality competition series In Search of the New Partridge Family.

Making Strides for Women’s Roles in Hollywood
What you need to know: Tribeca’s own Karen Kemmerle celebrates the thematic diversity of the roles played by this year’s nominated actresses, from Marion Cotillard’s working class hero in Two Days, One Night to Keira Knightley’s pioneering, real-life code-breaker Joan Clarke in The Imitation Game. Kemmerle notes, however, that some actual diversity in these categories would be a welcome surprise.
What Tribeca says: We can’t wait to see these enthralling, hard-working women get their props on this Sunday’s telecast. Meanwhile, don’t forget to play along during the show with our Oscars Fun Sheet, our ballot/ drinking game/ trivia hybrid for your Oscars viewing party! Download here.

All This and a Trophy Too?
What you need to know: The totally inane tradition of Oscar gift bags continues this year with a haul of goodies worth a staggering $125,000! That’s right: inevitable Best Supporting Actor winner J.K. Simmons gets to take home an Oscar as well as a $1,500 three-night trip to Tuscany, $20,000 worth of Audi A4 car rentals, and a $250 vibrator.
What Tribeca says: Stars, they’re just like us!

Putting Your Oscar Knowledge to the Test
What you need to know: In celebration of this year’s nominees across all categories, the Guardian has created the ultimate 2015 Oscar trivia contest. In a series of nine mini-games that range from the textual, visual, and audible, Academy Award aficionados can test their knowledge of the past year in film with games like “Boyhood to man”, “Selma: British or not?”, and “Theory of imitation”, the latter of which requires players to differentiate random film stills from the two visually similar British biopics of the title.
What Tribeca says: This in-depth, endlessly creative mega-quiz is the stuff that Oscar completists’ dreams are made of.