Michigan’s most heated sports rivalry will meet on the ice in the fourth-annual Duel in the D. The hockey game at Little Caesars Arena pits the University of Michigan Wolverines against the Michigan State Spartans in a Hockeytown clash to see who will hoist the “Iron D” Trophy.

Get a glimpse of the upcoming showdown, featuring interviews with former Spartan Justin Abdelkader and Wolverines Luke Glendening and Dylan Larkin.

Michigan has won the last three years, while Michigan State won the inaugural match in 2016. See who wins this year’s match on Monday, Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at 313Presents.com.

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Ever wonder what it takes to make an ad for the biggest football game of the year? We did. So we hopped a flight from Detroit to Hollywood for an inside look into the creation of Little Caesars’ first-ever “big game” commercial.

The live ostrich wasn’t even the best part.

To see how this hilarious ad came to life, check out this exclusive behind-the-scenes video.

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“Sliced Bread, Inc.” CEO Rainn Wilson is No Match for Little Caesars

New Delivery with Savings of $5 or More vs. Competition

Little Caesars new delivery service brings everything customers love about Little Caesars to your door: extreme value, quality and convenience. The innovative new delivery service, with savings of $5 or more over the competition, will be the focal point of the Detroit-based company’s first-ever commercial during the Big Game, airing in the third quarter of the game.

The high-octane spot depicts Rainn Wilson as the embattled CEO of “Sliced Bread, Inc.” He implodes in the wake of Little Caesars announcing delivery of their delicious pizzas and extreme value directly to front doors across America. And just like Little Caesars Pizza, the spot delivers.

Rainn Wilson is best known for his portrayal of Dwight Schrute on the iconic series “The Office.” The spot depicts his center of power crumbling, as the simple act of delivering a pizza unleashes a frenetic whirlwind of chaos at the headquarters of his “Sliced Bread, Inc.” empire. It culminates in comedic anarchy — equal parts disaster film and slapstick at its finest.

Watch the full ad on the Little Caesars YouTube channel.

As a bonus, Little Caesars is offering viewers a chance to score a free lunch at participating Little Caesars restaurants on Feb. 17. If Little Caesars ad wins USA TODAY’s Ad Meter, the company will give away one free HOT-N-READY Lunch Combo® to every family who visits a participating store between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. (local time) on Feb. 17 and mentions this offer at the check-out counter. Simply sign up at Admeter.usatoday.com and rank the ad no. 1 before 1 a.m. immediately following the Big Game. If the ad ends up at no. 1, you end up with free pizza!

Local organizations like SAY Detroit are vital to the community, helping Detroit families. Since its inception, SAY has brought together countless volunteers in the name of supporting Detroiters — from kids to senior citizens and veterans.

In partnership with this impactful organization, the Detroit Tigers’ Caravan tour stopped at the SAY Detroit Play Center, an after-school facility for students striving for academic success. There, Tigers pitcher Matthew Boyd and second baseman Jonathan Schoop joined students to record a modern take on the 1908 classic “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”

The students are part of Notes to Notes, a non-profit organization that designs, equips and staffs after-school recording studios inside Boys and Girls Clubs. The organization offers kids the chance to explore, create and record music with access to equipment and resources, and educates kids on careers in the music industry.

Ilitch Companies has partnered with SAY Detroit since its formation in 2006 to help Detroiters in need. The Detroit Tigers Foundation, an affiliate of Ilitch Charities, helped refurbish the outdoor baseball field at the SAY Detroit Play Center. The field was dedicated in honor of the Honorable Judge Damon J. Keith, a native Detroiter and civil rights icon, who passed away in 2019 at age 96.

Learn more at SAYDetroit.org and NotesForNotes.org.

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Detroit’s many youth organizations make a lasting and invaluable impact on the community, giving kids of all ages unique opportunities to bond, develop and grow beyond the classroom. As part of a newly formed relationship between the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan (BGCSM) and the Detroit Red Wings Foundation, dozens of local kids were invited to experience the Detroit Red Wings’ Hockeytown Winterfest, presented by Coca-Cola and Meijer, at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday, Jan. 19.

During the annual event, families enjoyed indoor and outdoor activities, laced-up and took to the Little Caesars Arena ice and learned about Detroit’s rich hockey history.

For many, stepping onto the Detroit Red Wings’ ice was their first skating experience.

The kids also toured the NHL Black Hockey History Tour presented by American Legacy, a mobile museum that celebrates today’s stars and the trailblazers who helped shape NHL history.

In addition to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan, the Detroit Red Wings Foundation has recently partnered with other Detroit-based community organizations — including the Detroit Public Schools Community District, Salvation Army and Children’s Hospital of Michigan — to help create memorable and positive experiences across Michigan.

Share in the experience here:

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Free Autograph Signings for the Community, Featuring Dozens of Tigers Players and Coaches, on Jan. 25

Annual Kids Rally Open to Public at Lake Shore High School in St. Clair Shores on Jan. 23

Tigers fans of all ages will be treated to a new Comerica Park tradition during the 2020 season: Signature Saturdays. The series launches with a free autograph signing event in The District Detroit on Saturday, Jan. 25. The gathering will bring over two dozen current Tigers players and coaches to the downtown Detroit community where they will sign autographs, take pictures and share in the hometown excitement for the upcoming start of baseball season.

The inaugural Signature Saturday event will run from 10 a.m. to noon. Signings will take place in The District Detroit at storefronts along the new Columbia Street Plaza off Woodward Ave., beside the Fox Theatre. Featured locations include Hockeytown Café and The M Den.

Fans can also get up-close and personal with Tigers players at the annual Kids Rally, where hundreds of students from around metro Detroit will come together for a memorable evening of interactive games, the chance to hang out with players, win great prizes and more. This event is open to the public, and takes place on Thursday, Jan. 23 from 4:45–6 p.m. at Lake Shore High School in St. Clair Shores. Fans are encouraged to follow @Tigers channels on social media for the latest information on events.

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New headquarters features one-of-kind architectural glass facade

With final and finishing touches underway at the new Little Caesars World Headquarters, Little Caesars employees are already working inside this one-of-a-kind structure. This amazing building features a one-of-a-kind front glass façade — a window wall of curved triangular panes held together with nearly invisible brackets — creating an iconic and eye catching structure that everyone on Woodward can see. Highly skilled engineers and architects, glassmakers and tradesmen worked together to place more than 150 individual panes of glass on the building, each sealed and stacked separate from the next.

Thanks to a thoughtful and strategic design process, the Little Caesars World Headquarters will join the ranks of Detroit’s architectural gems, upholding our city’s legacy for important and meaningful design. Little Caesars looks forward to a grand opening once all the details are complete!

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Little Caesars Arena will soon be transformed into a winter wonderland. The second annual Hockeytown Winterfest, presented by Coca-Cola and Meijer, will be hosted at the award-winning venue on Sunday, Jan. 19 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This year features a curated mobile museum celebrating black achievement in hockey. The free indoor and outdoor festivities include public skating on the arena’s main ice, interactive hockey zones, outdoor winter inflatables, and much more.

While the event is free, hockey fans are encouraged to reserve a mobile ticket online here.

Red Wings season ticket holders, premium suite holders and corporate partners are eligible for special entry at 10 a.m., and can reserve their tickets here.

Fostering an interest in the performing arts from a young age can make a transformative impact on a kid’s life. The Detroit School of Arts was founded in 1992 to give an integrated academic and arts education for this reason: to cultivate this interest in the arts while preparing kids to succeed in a rapidly evolving society.

Recently, students in Dr. Mayowa Lisa Reynold’s senior class were prepared to meet and speak with a professional actor. Little did they know he had a surprise gift for them.

Actor Cody Cooley, who plays Squidward in “The SpongeBob Musical,” visited the students and took an array of questions from them on life in the performing arts. Then he dropped the bombshell: each student would receive a free ticket to the show at the Fox Theatre, courtesy of 313 Presents!

Cooley fielded questions from the kids on turning their talent in the performing arts into careers and the obstacles they may face along the way.

“Honestly, just keep at it,” Cooley said on breaking into the business. “If you really want it and you keep at it, you’ll find your position in it.”

Not only will this show be some of the student’s first experiences at the historic Fox Theatre, but Cooley himself said he’d never been before.

“The Fox is magnificent in size and scale, and the décor is incredible,” said Cooley. “It’s a great house, and I can’t wait to play it.”

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