With all apologies to the "Saturday Night Live" greats, has there ever been a cast member with more memorable characters than Will
Ferrell?

His skills as an impressionist and character development, and his ability to run the spectrum between deadpan and manic and everywhere in
between, made him an ideal member of the troupe. Who else could play
Saddam Hussein, Janet Reno and the Unabomber? A cheerleader and a 1970s
rock musician? James Lipton and Harry Caray?

Ferrell constantly made viewers laugh as an "SNL" regular from 1995-2002, and on the occasions when he’s come back as a guest performer since. It’s tough to pick just five Ferrell skits as favorites, but here is one man’s opinion.

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Neil Diamond songs like “Sweet Caroline” are still a staple on classic rock stations, karaoke bars, and baseball stadiums everywhere. But was there a darker side to the music legend?

Probably not — but there sure is in the way Ferrell played him. In a “Behind the Music” parody that appeared in the late 1990s, Ferrell's Diamond discusses murder, heavy drinking and pornography, among other unsavory acts. Though his depiction of crooner Robert Goulet was also memorable, the Diamond impersonation gets the nod here as the best portrayal of a musical legend that totally flips that singer’s image on its head. You’ll never listen to “Forever in Blue Jeans” or “America” the same way again.

More: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/38474556/ns/today-entertainment/