The leaderboard didn’t change much on this week’s Dancing with the Stars 7 Performance Show. But big changes are in store for the couples next week.

During tonight’s show, Tom Bergeron and Samantha Harris announced that, next week, the couples would perform four styles of dances never before seen on the show: Jitterbug, West Coast Swing, Salsa and Hustle.

Maurice Greene & Cheryl Burke — Samba
Their disco-influenced Samba was a bit too gimmicky. Len Goodman told the duo, "Work on refining the dance." Bruno Tonioli agreed: "It’s a little bit too loose." Carrie Ann Inaba told Maurice, "I kind of feel like you’re stuck at the same place."

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…6, Len…7, Bruno…7 = 20/30

Cody Linley & Julianne Hough — Tango
They avoided gimmicks and gave a solid performance. Bruno said, "Cody, it looks like you’re starting to find your mojo." Carrie Ann said, "I love that you were going for a proper Tango." Len said, "Your best dance so far."

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…7, Len…8, Bruno…8 = 23/30

Toni Braxton & Alec Mazo — Samba
Pretty good, despite a couple of missteps. Carrie Ann told Toni, "Work on your shoulders." Len said, "I like the fact that you put in those shadow samba rolls." Bruno enthused, "Sugar and spice, my darling. I can’t wait to have some more."

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…7, Len…7, Bruno…8 = 22/30

Cloris Leachman & Corky Ballas — Tango
They took the performance seriously, and it paid off. Len said, "If I hadn’t seen it, I wouldn’t have believed it. It was absolutely fabulous, and I loved it." Bruno called Cloris, "The Grand Duchess in Lust." Carrie Ann told Cloris, "I underestimated you."

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…8, Len…7, Bruno…7 = 22/30

Rocco DiSpirito & Karina Smirnoff — Samba
Rocco’s puffy, removable sleeves were flashier than any of his moves. Bruno yelled at Rocco, "My accountant does a better Samba!" Carrie Ann said, "The dancing is still lacking." Len said, "You came out and had fun."

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…6, Len…6, Bruno…6 = 18/30

Susan Lucci & Tony Dovolani — Tango
I didn’t like this somber performance as much as the judges. Carrie Ann told Susan, "That is what I want to see you bring to every dance." Len said, "That was your best dance so far." Bruno called Susan a "tough broad."

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…8, Len…8, Bruno…8 = 24/30

Brooke Burke & Derek Hough — Samba
This was the best performance of the night, even though it wasn’t quite as good as the routine most commonly associated with the song Derek & Brooke danced to: "Hip Hip, Chin Chin" (video and explanation at the end of this recap). Len said the dance was "slightly too erotic." Bruno gushed, "This was raunchy with a capital (growls) RRRRR…" Carrie Ann told Brooke she is "a perfect candidate to, maybe, go all the way."

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…9, Len…8, Bruno…9 = 26/30

Lance Bass & Lacey Schwimmer — Tango
Bruno said the routine was "quirky with a Gothic twist, and yet always a perfect Tango." Carrie Ann said, "Tonight was amazing." Len told Lance, "You are — this is my big line — Sir Dance-a-Lot."

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…9, Len…8, Bruno…9 = 26/30

Warren Sapp & Kym Johnson — Samba
The evening ended with a competent but uninspired Samba. Carrie Ann said, "I felt like it was lacking a hair of content." Len told Warren, "There was too much of you gyrating, and Kym, sort of, dancing around." Bruno added: "You have all the ability to blow us away. You didn’t do it tonight."

Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…8, Len…7, Bruno…7 = 22/30

Judges’ Leaderboard (combined scores from this week and last, 60 possible points):
54 — Brooke & Derek
48 — Lance & Lacey
47 — Warren & Kym
45 — Susan & Tony
44 — Toni & Alec, Maurice & Cheryl, Cody & Julianne
38 — Rocco & Karina, Cloris & Corky

Once again, most of my votes go to Brooke & Derek, though I’ll throw a couple Lance & Lacey’s way, for finally turning this into a competition.

After getting a second chance last week, Rocco didn’t show any improvement, unlike fellow low-scorer, Cloris, who’s more flexible than any of us could’ve imagined. He got the chance that many other couples wish they had, and he didn’t capitalize on it. Happy trails, Chef.

Here’s the routine I referenced above, performed to the same song to which Brooke & Derek danced. The couple is Maxim Kozhevnikov & Yulia Zagoryuchenko.

Entertainment Tonight interviewed Rocco DiSpirito & Karina Smirnoff and Brooke Burke & Derek Hough as they rehearsed for tonight’s Dancing with the Stars 7 Performance Show. E! has video of Maurice Greene & Cheryl Burke rehearsing their new routine.

DwtS pro Kym Johnson and judge Carrie Ann Inaba spoke with People about Cheryl’s decision to publicly discuss the criticism she’s taken for gaining five pounds over the summer.

Carrie Ann may soon find herself nominated for an Emmy. The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences plans to add a category for best reality TV show judge.

Comedian Kathy Griffin thinks her two Emmys entitle her to a bigger salary for her show My Life on the D-List. I agree.

In other Dancing with the Stars news, pro wrestler Ric "The Nature Boy" Flair told TMZ that he’s ready to fill in for injured competitor Misty May-Treanor. I think you’ll have to wait for Season 8, Nature Boy. Woo!

Cloris Leachman will be the Grand Marshal of the 2009 Tournament of Roses Parade.

It took prompting from comedy legend Carl Reiner to convince DwtS host Tom Bergeron to start writing his memoirs.

YouTube is now streaming full episodes of the original Star Trek, Dexter and Beverly Hills, 90210, none of which are as amusing as Yacht Rock, Episode 1, which explains the story behind the song "What a Fool Believes."

After her appearance on Good Morning America yesterday, Dancing with the Stars pro Cheryl Burke addressed her weight with two other media outlets. She’s featured in the latest edition of People Magazine, which hit stores today. And Jann Carl interviewed the dancer for Entertainment Tonight.

ET also has video from the set of the Samantha Who? season premiere, which features a cameo by DwtS pro Mark Ballas. The new season debuts on Monday, October 13.

DwtS Judge Carrie Ann Inaba wears a sexy getup in a new print ad for PETA.

An MSNBC article answers all of your important questions about Survivor, like, "What kind of personal hygiene items do the contestants have access to?"

Regarding last night’s episode of Survivor: Gabon, are you as amazed as I am that three contestants as useless as Ken, Crystal and GC have the amount of power they have? I can’t blame them for wanting to survive until the two tribes merge, but they may be the only Fang members who do, assuming they keep voting out their strongest members.

ABC renewed I Survived a Japanese Game Show for a second season. I really liked this summer show, with its Amazing Race-like culture shock elements. Here’s hoping that, with a few tweaks, the show becomes a legitimate hit.

ABC also picked up a remake of the 1983 sci-fi miniseries V. Amazon sells the complete miniseries on DVD in case, like me, you missed it when it originally aired.

Sci Fi announced the details of five original movies in the works for the network, including one about a living gargoyle and another based on the Jersey Devil legend.

People has an interview with recently auf’d Project Runway 5 designer Jerell. The magazine also posted a photo of the Alexander McQueen dress that the judges said resembled the wedding dress Kenley designed for this week’s challenge. Kenley’s fooling herself if she can’t see the similarities.

Bravo finally launched an online store featuring items created by Project Runway designers Chloe Dao, Kara Janx, Malan Breton, and Laura Bennett. But you have to watch a video interview with each designer to see which items they have for sale, and bad lighting makes it hard to tell the color of certain items.

As the video plays, you can click on an item as it is modeled to see pricing info and add it to your shopping cart. The technology is cool, but it’s an inconvenient way to shop for clothes. Show me the items first, and then let me watch the video to see how the clothes look when worn by a model.

Dancing with the Stars pro Cheryl Burke appeared on Good Morning America today to address comments people are making about her figure this season. She admitted that she gained five pounds over the summer — the first extended time off she’s had in years — but says she still wears a size 4.

You can bid on the size "approximately 0" dress that Julianne Hough wore to the 2008 Creative Arts Emmy Awards at charity auction site Clothes Off Our Backs. Other DwtS-related items up for bid include an iPod autographed by Karina Smirnoff, a wine bottle signed by Shannon Elizabeth & Derek Hough, a dress worn by Monique Coleman on The Tyra Banks Show, and shoes that Marie Osmond wore on an episode of DwtS.

Julianne Hough posted two new entries at her Fancast blog, one about dancing with her brother on this week’s Results Show and another about her music.

People reported on What You Didn’t See at Tuesday night’s Results Show.

DwtS 5 champ Helio Castroneves pled not guilty to tax evasion charges in Miami last Friday.

Top Chef fans in the New York City area can meet former contestants at the "Taste of the Five Boroughs" event later this month.

Pop Candy has a post about zombie-themed events taking place this month.

Finally, EW has a photo gallery of 21 American Shows Based on British Gems, which includes current hits like American Idol and Dancing with the Stars, but also classics like Three’s Company and Too Close for Comfort. Who knew?

I’m back from a refreshing trip to the Pacific Northwest just in time to catch up on a crazy week of Dancing with the Stars 7 news. Rocco DiSpirito tried to stay upbeat after finding out on last night’s Results Show that he would’ve been a goner if not for Misty May-Treanor’s season-ending injury.

He told Us Magazine: "Every week I wanted to know where I stood, and now I know exactly where I stand!" He also joked with OK! that he’s "a charity case" for partner Karina Smirnoff, who looked frustrated by the evening’s proceedings when Access Hollywood and ET interviewed her after the Results Show.

Talking to E! after Monday night’s DwtS Performance Show, Rocco described his frilly white outfit as "Venetian gondolier/ice cream man."

Two ousted dancers are still keeping up with DwtS 7. Maksim Chmerkovskiy called EW last night to report that Misty is doing well after surgery. He said he’d love to finish the season as a fourth judge alongside Len, Carrie Ann and Bruno. And Kim Kardashian blogged for MSN that she loved every performance on Monday night.

Though it’s safe to safe that Kim and partner Mark Ballas won’t be taking over the spot vacated by Misty & Maks, I like what Corky Ballas told OK! about his son’s possible return: "Mark would come back like a tiger. With a vengeance!"

In the event of another serious rehearsal injury this season in which the celebrity was fit to continue with the show but not able to perform on a Monday night (e.g., Jeff Ross suffering a scratched cornea hours before showtime), TV Guide learned that the producers are going to allow couples to submit their dress rehearsal footage for broadcast and review by the judges in lieu of dancing live. The pairs run through their full routines at least three times on the stage before the show, and all of the run-throughs are recorded.

Derek Hough told People that he shares a home with Shannon Elizabeth and three of his Almost Amy bandmates, but that he still has a room in an apartment he shared with Mark Ballas for those times that he needs a little privacy. Great, but what does Shannon do when she wants to get away from the three twenty-something musicians you moved into her house, Derek?

Maureen Ryan of The Chicago Tribune’s blog The Watcher writes that she’s abandoning NBC’s increasingly convoluted Heroes. I did the same last year, and now I feel even better about the decision.

A Japanese television network is suing ABC, claiming that Wipeout is a rip-off of Takeshi’s Castle.

The lawsuit between NBC Universal and the Weinstein Co. could delay the premiere of Project Runway 6 until Summer 2009. Part one of the Season 5 finale airs tonight on Bravo at 9 ET.

My flight back to Chicago from Seattle arrived a bit late tonight, so I didn’t catch the show. Fortunately, my expert sources were able to fill me in (Thanks, Mom!). Because of Misty’s injury, nobody was ousted. But viewers learned that, had there been an elimination, Rocco would have gone home. We’ll see if that affects the voters next week, or if Rocco just staved off the inevitable.

Tonight’s dances weren’t quite as dramatic as Misty May-Treanor’s departure from the show due to injury. Brooke gave another dominating performance, while all of the other stars just tried to keep up.

I’m on vacation at the moment, hence the abbreviated recap. YouTube recently purged its site of most DwtS videos, so I’m not sure when (or if) videos of this evening’s performance will be available. I’ll post them here if I can.

Susan Lucci & Tony Dovolani — Jive
Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…7, Len…7, Bruno…7 = 21/30

Lance Bass & Lacey Schwimmer — Viennese Waltz
Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…8, Len…7, Bruno…7 = 22/30

Maurice Greene & Cheryl Burke — Jive
Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…8, Len…8, Bruno…8 = 24/30

Rocco DiSpirito & Karina Smirnoff — Viennese Waltz
Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…7, Len…7, Bruno…6 = 20/30

Warren Sapp & Kym Johnson — Viennese Waltz
Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…9, Len…8, Bruno…8 = 25/30

Cody Linley & Julianne Hough — Jive
Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…7, Len…7, Bruno…7 = 21/30

Toni Braxton & Alec Mazo — Viennese Waltz
Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…8, Len…7, Bruno…7 = 22/30

Cloris Leachman & Corky Ballas — Jive
Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…6, Len…5, Bruno…5 = 16/30

Brooke Burke & Derek Hough — Viennese Waltz
Judges’ Scores: Carrie Ann…9, Len…10, Bruno…9 = 28/30

Judges’ Leaderboard:
28 — Brooke & Derek
25 — Warren & Kym
24 — Maurice & Cheryl
22 — Lance & Lacey, Toni & Alec
21 — Susan & Tony, Cody & Julianne
20 — Rocco & Karina
16 — Cloris & Corky

Maurice had the most dramatic improvement of the week, although he’s still not in a position to threaten Brooke’s lead. All of my votes went to her.

Rocco also had a good week, although not much changed for him, either. He and Cloris will likely be the next two celebrities sent home, but not necessarily in that order.

ET Online reports that Dancing with the Stars 7 contestant Brooke Burke said in a radio interview that an Achilles tendon injury has forced Misty May-Treanor to leave the competition. Misty and partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy were scheduled to dance the Jive this week.

When Sara Evans withdrew from Season 3, no other couple was eliminated on that week’s Results Show. Unless the rumor that Kim Kardashian might take Misty’s place proves true, I’m assuming that the procedure will be the same this week (although Tom Bergeron and Samantha Harris will probably act as though someone is being kicked off). Perhaps since the injury happened before the Performance Show, this week’s votes and scores will be combined with next week’s votes and scores to determine the next celebrity eliminated.

Misty showed a lot of potential in her two weeks on the show. How will her departure affect the leaderboard? Has this cleared Brooke’s path to victory? And how much does it suck for Maks to lose perhaps his ideal celebrity partner?

Perhaps Kim Kardashian suspected that Tuesday night’s episode of Dancing with the Stars 7 would be her last, because she told essentially the same thing to every media outlet she talked to, including Us, OK!, TV Guide, and ET: she’s a shy person who’s proud of what she did on DwtS.

E! got reactions from Kim’s family regarding her ouster, and Kim’s DwtS partner, Mark Ballas, told People: "I will always be so proud that I was the one holding her hand up there."

Mel B elicited some very kind comments about Kim from her Dancing with the Stars castmates for this Access Hollywood video, but Mel’s massive cleavage upstaged everyone she interviewed.

EW.com took a phone call from Maksim Chmerkovskiy after last night’s show in which he discussed Tom Bergeron’s daily workout routine.

Kim posted some backstage photos to her MSN blog the day before she got the boot. Julianne Hough wrote about Monday night’s Performance Show on her Fancast blog, and E! caught up with Rocco DiSpirito to talk about his low-scoring Rumba.

The CW is working on a new series called The Graysons, which will be about the life of Batman’s sidekick, Robin, before he donned the tights.

I’ll be out of town for several days and plan to return with Ox Notes next Wednesday. The MOIB Dancing with the Stars Chat Room will be open on Monday and Tuesday night, and I hope to join you there.

Viewers weren’t fired up enough to vote for the latest celebrity eliminated from Dancing with the Stars 7. At least she still has her other show to fall back on.

The evening started with the season’s first Judges’ Encore, which went to Warren Sapp & Kym Johnson for their Matrix Paso Doble.

Following that, the first two safe couples were announced: Toni Braxton & Alec Mazo and Rocco DiSpirito & Karina Smirnoff. Karina was so convinced that she and Rocco had been in trouble that she immediately started squealing and jumping on Rocco.

Then tonight’s musical guest, Jessica Simpson, gave the first of two performances. Her singing was overshadowed by the pair of dancers accompanying her: Pasha Kovalev & Anya Garnis from So You Think You Can Dance 3! I’m still surprised that they haven’t been hired as DwtS pros yet.

The next two couples to learn that they were safe were Cody Linley & Julianne Hough and Brooke Burke & Derek Hough.

Bruno Tonioli & Len Goodman were then featured in a video about their double duty as judges on DwtS and Strictly Come Dancing in the U.K. Len said that he and his travel companion, Bruno, "get on famously well," and Bruno agreed: "I couldn’t choose anybody better to do this with."

After the segment, choreographer Brian Friedman and company performed a special routine wearing outfits adorned with lights, similar to those worn during the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremonies.

Then, Jessica Simpson was back, this time accompanied by Cheryl Burke & Maksim Chmerkovskiy.

The next safe couple announced was Susan Lucci & Tony Dovolani.

Tom Bergeron introduced the next segment by walking from the stage, down the hallway, and into the waiting room where the couples get their scores and talk with Samantha Harris. A video montage showed exactly what happens while the dancers wait in The Red Room.

As the show neared its end, Warren Sapp & Kym Johnson, Maurice Greene & Cheryl Burke, Lance Bass & Lacey Schwimmer and Misty May-Treanor & Maksim Chmerkovskiy were told that they were safe.

That left Cloris Leachman & Corky Ballas and Kim Kardashian & Mark Ballas alone on stage, although Tom had to clarify that the couples weren’t necessarily the Bottom Two. Since Tom has to waste time explaining it every week, I wish they’d just go back to having a Bottom Two.

Kim & Mark were told that they were going home, and Tom quickly urged them off the stage saying, "We just have a few seconds." Kim said that today is the five year anniversary of her father’s death, and that she knows she made him proud.

Mark, then, made things really awkward as he said of his dad, Corky, "I’m so proud to be sharing the stage with him. I’m glad he’s still alive." As if things weren’t uncomfortable enough, the band played a peppy version of "See You Later, Alligator" as the credits rolled.