You are going to get a ton of recommendations so I might as well start and you can make up your own mind after you get deluged with them all

Most photography courses that you might sign up for and most tutorials that I've seen, books that I've browsed, all reference either Nikon or Canon so I recommend you go with one of those. I chose Canon. You can get the prosumer Canon T1i for $1099 at Futureshop, Future Shop: Cameras & Camcorders: Digital SLR Packages: Canon Rebel T1i 15.1MP DSLR With 18-55mm IS Lens & EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 II USM Lens Kit Package which comes with 18-55mm and the 75-300mm USM. It's 15.1MP and I think a sweet deal.

You can get less expensive gear if you go with something like the Pentax K-x, What's New Hardware: Pentax Kx., which is a full DSLR but a little less expensive since it's not Canon or Nikon

Good luck and happy shopping!