Longterm project: Programmable timer for light

I have been lurking/researching the forums, and it seems to have been done, but information seems to be scattered all over.

My project will be three phases:

1.) Basic On/Off AC Light using Arduino and an SSR
2.) Web manager to control the lights (Send signal to Arduino, it sends current/voltage to SSR, turns on light. Conversely sends a signal to Arduino etc. to turn off the light)
3.) A mobile app (Android or Windows) that can turn on lights/appliances depending on the schedule you set

Starting with phase one, I am running into difficulties choosing the right SSR and the proper circuit to begin.
My light (AC) has a 60Watt max rating. In the US, I have 120V in mains, which I assume given P=VI, that the max current the load draws is 0.5A.

Another concern is using the SSR to turn on and off the load, since I am only using a light for now, it is a resistive load, so I assume I don't need to worry about snubber circuit. I was thinking of getting an SSR with Load voltage rating up to 280V, and load current rating 8A or higher, please let me know if this is a poor selection choice - from what I've read this should be okay for my use, but explanation would be appreciated.

As I am looking for possible SSRs to use, there seems to be many different options of output device: Thyristor, TRIAC, Phototransistor, Photo TRIAC, and this seems confusing to choose for the best application.

After choosing the proper SSR, I want to discuss an appropriate circuit. TO connect to the ARduino. I have seen some schematics using a BJT, but me being unsure of choosing the right resistors for the bias network, I was confused last night and called it a day. Any help would be appreciated!

le-gant:
Another concern is using the SSR to turn on and off the load, since I am only using a light for now, it is a resistive load, so I assume I don't need to worry about snubber circuit. I was thinking of getting an SSR with Load voltage rating up to 280V, and load current rating 8A or higher, please let me know if this is a poor selection choice - from what I've read this should be okay for my use, but explanation would be appreciated.

Its a bit of overkill, but it will work. What's best will depend on availability, cost, size restraints, and how much additional circuitry you're willing to put up with. For example, I've used standard relays to handle house lights, but they require a driving circuit of a transistor, resistor and diode (not exactly complex). Alternatively, you could go for an SSR like this and drive it directly from the Arduino's pins. If you're not 100% COMPLETELY comfortable messing with main's voltage, I would recommend getting something like the PowerSwitch Tail.