Definitely go LCD, definitely go 1080p, definitely stick with a major brand like Sony, Samsung, Sharp, Toshiba, LG.
I shopped hard last year and I bought a 42" Toshiba at Circuit City the week after Thanksgiving last year for ~$1300, the same unit was on sale for $999 last week.
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Toshi...oductDetail.do
Here is a nice deal on a 42" Sharp from Dell, today only:
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/p...CJ&cid=0&lid=0
Here is a 52" LG at COMPUSA for
only $1299:
http://tinyurl.com/633tvf