A former stage manager for Late Night With Jimmy Fallon has filed a lawsuit against NBC Universal, Fallon, and employees of Late Night, alleging that the show has a gender bias. In papers filed in New York on Jan. 10, Paul Tarascio–a former stage manager for Late Night With Conan O’Brien–claims he was demoted to while working for Fallon after being told by Late Night director David Diomdi, ”Jimmy just prefers to take direction from a woman.” Tarascio–who says he was told he had received his first job as a “last resort” because a woman was not available–alleges that he was then replaced by “a less qualified woman” who was “immediately a disaster.” When he complained about being replaced by a woman, Tarascio says he was told, “You know Jimmy. He loves his woman.”

The court papers obtained by EW claim Tarascio was fired after he had complained to show officials and union representatives, and that his position was allegedly filled by a woman. “Mr. Fallon’s conduct and attitudes towards show positions further evidences the gender bias which resulted in the discriminatory conduct towards [Tarascio],” the lawsuit reads. Tarascio is seeking punitive damages; reps for Late Night and Jimmy Fallon have yet to respond to EW’s request for comment. NBC is facing another late-night related lawsuit: Jay Leno and the network has been sued by a religious organization leader who took issue with the host’s jab linking Mitt Romney’s wealth and a Sikh religious site.

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Following a MythBusters experiment that sent a cannonball busting through the home of a family in California, the Discovery series has issued a statement about the incident. Confirming that no one was hurt from the misfire — which occurred during filming at the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department bomb range in Alameda County, Calif. — Discovery and Beyond Productions explain how things went awry: “During the testing, a cannonball took an unforeseen bounce from a safety berm … Sgt. JD Nelson, Public Information Officer and bomb technician for the Alameda County Sheriff’s office, who is a regular safety explosives expert for MythBusters, was on site and all proper safety protocol was observed. Beyond Productions is currently assessing the situation and working with those whose property was affected.”

Though there were no injuries, there was damage to the home and a parked car. “We had some tremendous bad luck and some tremendous good luck,” Sgt. Nelson told the Associated Press.

(Reporting by Mandi Bierly)

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Many might have tuned in to Saturday’s Penn State game, but some advertisers will not take advantage of the extra eyes tuning in in the wake of the college’s sexual assault scandal. Following this week’s news that former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky had allegedly sexually abused several young boys, advertisers backed out of airing spots during Saturday’s game, as well as upcoming Penn State matches. The Wall Street Journal reports up to a half dozen companies — including Cars.com — have pulled out of airing their commercials on ESPN’s broadcast of Penn State football. “The school’s image is damaged and brands will disassociate,” sports marketer Kevin Adler, of Engage Marketing, told WSJ.

Penn State may also have to worry about its corporate sponsors as well. According to the WSJ, sponsors like PepsiCo Inc., have yet to make any movement, but General Motors Co., says it is “reviewing” its attachment to the school. (Highmark Inc., however, says they are sticking with Penn State.) A rep for ESPN has not immediately responded for EW’s request for comment.

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