I knew Shakran was going to come in here and blast Avid.. but whatever, FCP has it's share of issues just like avid does. Who cares if you can't import an MPEG-2? That's a format that should only be on an encode anyway. There are things I hate about Avid and things I hate about FCP, but an editor can't have enough tools at their disposal.
FCP could only dream of managing media as well as Avid does. I'll put up any Media Adrenaline against any FCP setup any day and blow it out of the water. The things Avid can accomplish with it's tracking and spectramatte key's and paint tools are awesome. Apple's motion pffft.. what a piece of shit.. even pro FCP editors admit that. FCP has some great workflows, but Avid still rules the nest. Avid owns the top market while FCP owns the freelance market. There is some intersection going on, but really.. you need to know both to get anywhere in the world these days. there are two other NLE's that are just as good that people never mention and those are Edius Pro (real time render for only $1,000) and DPS Velocity.
Really, though it just comes down to what you like and don't like. You can get keyboards for Avid also.. but I think for this type of application FCP and Avid are overkill. So Premiere would be the best bet for this type of workflow.
Ditch the Hi8, I mean damn you can get a HV30 for what.. $800 now? Good solid "indie" camera. If you bring in real coin then go for the RED, but be prepared for it's workflow.. it's tough, but damn if that camera doesn't put out some great looking footage.
Check out
CreativeCow for tons of tutorials, articles and information.
and for stock footage check out
Uberstock has some high quality stuff.