Dedicated camera vs. DSLR with video?

Okay, so, I'm the owner of an independent gaming website and we attend the big events such as E3 in LA.

This year was my first rodeo in LA, and I got to really put my Canon Rebel XS (10.1MP) to work with all of the photo ops at the show.

However, it is a dedicated camera that only does photos; I have a modest Sony Handycam (3.1MP) that I used in our limited video shooting.

This means I had to keep both of them in my camera bag, and it's rather full at this point. I want to get a better camcorder camera with mic inputs so that I don't have to use my separate voice recorders and painfully sync the audio and video anymore.

But, if I'm going to spend that kind of money, I thought I should look into a DSLR that does both, since I could take my pictures and also do video, since all of my attachments (like an external mic as in this) would be in one place.

So, I need recommendations as this is a gray area for me. I'm learning toward a DSLR that does video; can anyone suggest anything in that department? Either way I'm buying a new piece of hardware. Price range is preferably under $1000, but anything on the lower end of that estimate is great. (Canon is what I've been using and is preferred, since I already have a few lenses).

Thanks! :)

EDIT: As we have pointed out in the discussion, trade shows -- which is primarily what it would be used for -- have bad lighting, so that's a major factor.