Need Experienced Info

[mixy]

Ahoy! New to here and to synth land in general.

I need recommendations on what equipment to buy. First, the background and what I need it for: I'm an experienced musician (guitar and bass, piano), with little experience in virtual stuff, synths, etc, but a keen and specific interest.
I'm looking to:
- do Ableton Live performance stuff heavy on loops I have already made with Logic,
- to continue to make more loops with a high-quality synth for a discerning audiophile (that's where the Virus will come in),
-as well as to experiment eventually with throwing live guitar improv and perhaps even midi-guitar for some super spicy on-the-fly solos and riffing.

At the moment I have
-Logic 8,
-a brand new MacbookPro17",
-and a pair of M-Audio EXS monitors.
-my old Motu Ultralite MK3 has moved out with my old roomate. I don't even have an interface to plug my mons into.

The questions: what Virus, interface, midi-controllers, etc, fit my needs? Do I even need an interface if using the Virus (I have been told, loosely, "no")? Should I get a Virus Desktop and a seperate midi-controller (m-audio axiom looks tasty...)? Or a Virus with the keyboard AND a midi controller keyboard? Last and least, how could I best fit a midi guitar (eventually) into all this?

Any help is appreciated, but clear and candid expert advice most of all :P

Thanks.