Edwards mixes it up on the trail

Even this long before the first nominating contests, candidates' schedules tend to blur together -- another town hall meeting, one more house party, the latest fund-raiser.

So it's understandable that John Edwards, for one, is trying to spice things up a bit.

On his latest swing through New Hampshire, the Democratic hopeful will on Thursday become the first candidate to take part in a dialogue hosted by MTV and MySpace. Questions will come from visitors to Edwards's MySpace page and websurfers on MTV and MySpace, and Edwards will be at the University of New Hampshire to answer them.

Later Thursday and on Friday, Edwards plans a series of "economic fairness" town hall meetings that are combined with bluegrass concerts featuring The Bluegrass Brothers, Ralph Stanley II, and former Congressman Ben "Cooter" Jones.

And his eldest daughter Cate will bring a celebrity with her while campaigning in Iowa this weekend. James Denton, who plays one of the put-upon men in "Desperate Housewives," will join her at events on college campuses and elsewhere, including tailgating Saturday before the Iowa Hawkeyes football game. Cate Edwards, a Harvard Law student, is a board member of Generation Engage, a new nonpartisan youth voter initiative.