Spotted: Ray Wise

He's debonair, he's as handsome as ever, and he looks wonderful under that magic soaps lighting. He just popped up yesterday as the much-hyped Ian Ward character on CBS' "The Young and the Restless." We wondered who we would see in that role! With all the build-up for this charismatic and powerful former cult leader, we knew they would have to cast big. So there he was, Mr. Ray Wise, whom we know so fondly from "Twin Peaks" and even as Blair Sullivan on "Dallas" and Spiro Koralis on "The Colbys." We are not disappointed! Don't drink this guy's Kool-Aid!

We've been oh-so intrigued for several months now with "Y&R"'s storyline of Nikki Newman's long-lost child. When her child was revealed to be existing character Dylan McAvoy, it seemed a bit inexpensive, for sure. But Dylan is played by Steve Burton, the former Jason Morgan of "General Hospital," so, um, yum! We're digging that part of it. We got to meet Burton many years ago, at an appearance at a Sears store in Michigan, of all things.

Now, in this new role of Dylan's long-lost father, Wise is commanding, powerful, soooo intimidating. All with his trademark smile. Still ... we relish the potential of a confrontation between this new Ian Ward and Nikki's husband Victor Newman (played by Eric Braeden, whom we saw as a young-un on a couple "Wonder Woman" episodes, and who has seriously owned this "Y&R" role for so many decades). Our ole Victor might just squash Ian like a bug! Smash!