If you looking for the best set for gaming, sports, and movies, the top brands would be Sony Bravia XBR, Panasonic Viera, and Pioneer Elite Kuro Plasmas. These would be if you had some dough to throw down. They do offer the 120hz refresh rates that do reduce the motion artifacts and blurs associated with gaming, sports and movie action, especially in larger screens like the 52" you were looking at.
The V-series Sonys are good too. As well as, Samsung and the Sharp Aquos HDTVs. And they are a lot cheaper that the aforementioned brands.
Some other things to look for other than the refresh rate, are the response times and the contrast ratios. Even if you don't get a 120hz set, if your response time is under 6.5 ms, which is average, you're not doing too bad, and will save some money. This will help keep some of the blurs to a minimum, even at a 60hz refresh rate.
LG's? Personally, not a fan. I've had issues with this brand but some other people might give it rave reviews. I guess it's the luck of the draw.