Tim has pretty much said anything and everthing i have thought.
I feel like the EVIL's are just that. They are a glorified point and shoot for pros who dont want to carry thier equipment everywhere, or for camera enthusiests who dont want bulky equipment.
They will never be the norm, IMHO, for proffessionals.
I see no reason for you to start at the very bottom of the entry level cameras. Theoretically you could keep your camera for as long as your lenses. My D90, is still a pretty nice camera, even though its almost 5 years old. Sure its been supersceded by the D5100, but between my D700 and my D90, im still pretty happy with teh quality of shots it takes, but i have always coupled it with Nikons higher end lenses.
Get a few cheap primes (35mm 1.8 is my fave, as well as the 50mm 1.8) i feel like these should be in ANY photographers kit, but thats just me.
As far as the lenses go.
I opted to buy a Tamron 28-75 (new 400, used 300) over the nikon 24-70(new 1800, used 1750). Reasons? They have INCREDIBLE quality vs Price to the Nikon.
Same thing goes with the Tamron 70-200 2.8.
Ultimately, yes, i would LOVE to have the nikon equivalents, and one day will, but cost/quality/ and needs, ill stick with the Tamrons for now.