Ray Routhier

Press Herald

Ray Routhier writes about pop culture, entertainment, music, TV and lifestyle issues. In more than 23 years at the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram, he has been continually fascinated with stories that show the unique character of Maine’s people and places. The word he uses most for stories he’s drawn to is “quirky.” He’s written about the changing cable TV and Internet landscapes, and what those changes mean for the future of information and entertainment. He’s dug clams, raked blueberries and rode on the back of a garbage truck, all in pursuit of stories about real Mainers. He’s had a ball interviewing a range of celebrities from Anna Kendrick and Patrick Dempsey to Billy Joel and Tony Bennett. His passions, besides writing, include baseball history, old movies and “Jeopardy!” A native of Manchester, N.H., he graduated with a degree in political science from the University of New Hampshire. He lives in South Portland with his wife and two daughters.

Latest

Published
May 24, 2019

State ballad proposal passes votes in House, Senate

‘The Ballad of the 20th Maine’ by Portland band The Ghost of Paul Revere still needs another round of approvals to become the official state ballad.
Published
May 16, 2019

Maine author Richard Ford wins lifetime achievement award from Library of Congress

A 1996 Pulitzer Prize winner for ‘Independence Day,’ the Boothbay resident will receive the award at the Library of Congress National Book Festival in August.
Published
May 7, 2019

Don McLean wants apology from group that changed its tune about giving him award

In a Facebook post, the ‘American Pie’ singer calls the UCLA student group that rescinded the lifetime achievement award ‘morons.’
Published
May 6, 2019

Don McLean loses lifetime achievement award due to domestic violence incident

A UCLA student group rescinded the George and Ira Gershwin Award for Lifetime Musical Achievement after learning McLean had pleaded guilty to domestic violence charges.
Published
May 5, 2019

Sports streaming primer: Here’s what some major services offer

Here’s a brief summary of what some of the major streaming services – the ones with a significant amount of live sports programming – offer. The first two offer Red Sox regular-season games, the others don’t. You can watch any of them on a smart TV, which has built-in streaming capability, or with a streaming […]
Published
May 5, 2019

For sports fans, life can be a stream

With several New England teams playing at once, sports fans are particularly grateful for streaming services that allow them to customize what they can watch.
Published
April 30, 2019

Rock Row rolls out Westbrook concert venue, vows to outdo the Pier

The outdoor Maine Savings Pavilion at the new Westbrook development has booked 14 shows, starting in late May.
Published
April 26, 2019

Maine woman pleads not guilty to charge she sent threatening letter to Sen. Collins

Suzanne Muscara was arrested April 5 and charged with mailing a letter containing white powder to Collins’ Bangor home.
Published
April 26, 2019

Police shoot man in armed confrontation in Medford, north of Bangor

The man, wanted on warrants, failed to stop for police in Milo and fled to Medford, about 9 miles away. He was taken to a Bangor hospital while neither officer was hurt.
Published
April 14, 2019

Actress-turned-producer Victoria Rowell credits life as foster child on Maine farm for her success

Best known for ‘The Young and the Restless,’ she is now producing her own films, including a soap about soaps called ‘The Rich and the Ruthless.’