>>5
Yeah, I recommend AVR ATMega. Other people could perhaps recommend Microchip PIC.
So this is what you need:
- MCU (the microcontroller of your choice, ATMega, PIC, etc...)
- Programmer device that is used to program your MCU
- Your computer. You need it to write code and use the programmer device to program MCU
If you don't have experience in electronics it is best to buy a micro-controller board (or development board, or evaluation board or some-other-name-here). There are boards for AVR and Microchip controllers. But if you know what you're doing, you can save money by making your own board.