On the evening news last night, one of the commercials ended with, “If you’re between the ages of 50 and 75, you may be eligible ...,” and I started to laugh.

Who else do they think is watching the evening news? Teenagers? Newlyweds? Or do I repeat myself? How else could you explain all the commercials for Cialis, face-lifts, hearing aids, AARP, understanding Medicare, vitamins just for men, vitamins just for women, hair dye and “mature” singles dating services that run between the stories about the national debt and the Mideast car bomb o’ the day?

And how many times do they think people between the ages of 50 and 75 have to see the same ad before it gets results? Fifty? Seventy-five? Three hundred and sixty-five? Infinity? Is there a man alive who needs Cialis who hasn’t heard about it? If he’s that out of touch, he’s probably not dating on the Internet, either.

It’s like all those beer ads during the Super Bowl — what do advertisers think most of the fans are drinking already? Do they really have to spend a million dollars a second to sell viewers something they already have in their hands? Do they think beer drinkers are that stupid? Yes, they do.

Maybe the nightly news gets older viewers only because of the ads. To anyone younger than 50, the commercials are a peek into their future at Hip Replacement Village, which scares them silly.