CPAC 2012: The Celebrity Speakers Inspiring Conservatives of Tomorrow

The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) is kicking off on Thursday, meaning the crème of the conservative crop are traveling to Washington, D.C. to makes speeches and mingle with nation's most noted Republican leaders.

Among the prominent Republicans scheduled to attend the event are GOP presidential hopefuls Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, as well as congressional heavyweights such as U.S. Sens. Mitch McConnell, Ky., and Marco Rubio, Fla. Rep. Ron Paul, who has placed first in the CPAC straw poll for the past two years, will not be attending the event this year.

However, many of the people who will be attending are likely Paul supporters. CPAC, according to multiple media reports, is famous for being a gathering of young Republicans; this year, the event's administrators expect at least 40 percent of the conferences' 10,000 or so attendants will be college students. Moreover, 18- to 29-year-olds are expected to make up at least half of the CPAC population, according to Forbes.

To inspire the young Republicans of tomorrow, CPAC has brought out some heavyweights: conservative celebrities. President Obama may have the Hollywood elites on his side, but the self-professed Republican stars at this year's CPAC feature a combination of entertainers, writers and other more contentious figure who are all apparently representative of the conservative agenda.