Conditional category query breaking?

Question

In my loop.php (see below) I basically have a condition where if the page is not paginated (i.e. if the URL does not look something like this: example.com/page/2) then display 2 posts with a category of "featured-content"...otherwise if the page is paginated then display 5 posts. This works fine except it is not properly querying the "featured-content" category as posts marked with this category are not always showing up in the loop feed.

I hope I articulated the issue properly, if not please let me know and I'll clarify.

            <!-- Featured Content Slider -->
        <?php include('includes/featured-content-slider.inc.php'); ?>
        <!-- /Featured Content Slider -->

        <!-- 960 16 Column Grid -->
        <div class="container_16" <?php if (!is_paged()) { echo "id=home";} ?>> 

            <!-- Featured News -->
            <section class="grid_10 featured-news" <?php if (is_paged()) {echo "id=margin-top-120-o";}?>>

                <!-- Featured News Heading -->
                <h1><span class="biography">Featured Content</span></h1>
                <!-- /Featured News Heading -->

                    <!-- Featured News Loop -->
                    <?php
                    if (!is_paged()) {
                        $paged = (get_query_var('paged')) ? get_query_var('paged') : 1;
                            $args=array(
                                'post_type'=>'post',
                                'category_name' => 'featured-content',
                                'posts_per_page' => 2,
                                'paged'=>$paged
                            );
                            $temp = $wp_query;
                            $wp_query= null;
                            $wp_query = new WP_Query($args);
                    } else {
                        $paged = (get_query_var('paged')) ? get_query_var('paged') : 1;
                            $args=array(
                                'post_type'=>'post',
                                'category_name' => 'featured-content',
                                'posts_per_page' => 5,
                                'paged'=>$paged
                            );
                            $temp = $wp_query;
                            $wp_query= null;
                            $wp_query = new WP_Query($args);
                    }
                        if (function_exists('wp_pagenavi')) { wp_pagenavi(); }
                        if ( $wp_query->have_posts() ) : while ( $wp_query->have_posts() ) : $wp_query->the_post();
                    ?> 
                    <!-- /Featured News Loop -->

                        <!-- Post --> 
                        <article class="post" id="post-<?php the_ID(); ?>" <?php post_class(); ?> >

                            <!-- Featured News Title -->
                            <span><a href="<?php the_permalink(); ?>" title="<?php printf( esc_attr__( '%s', 'twentyten' ), the_title_attribute( 'echo=0' ) ); ?>" rel="bookmark"><?php the_title(); ?></a>
                            </span>
                            <!-- /Featured News Title -->

                            <!-- Featured News Meta -->
                            <p class="featured-news-post-meta">By <span class="featured-news-author"><?php echo get_the_author(); ?></span> / <?php echo get_the_date('m.d.Y'); ?></p>
                            <!-- /Featured News Meta -->

                            <!-- Featured News Thumbnail -->
                            <a href="<?php the_permalink(); ?>"><?php the_post_thumbnail(array(640,320)); ?></a>
                            <!-- /Featured News Thumbnail -->

                            <!-- Featured News Excerpt -->
                            <p class="featured-news-excerpt"><?php the_excerpt(); ?></p>
                            <!-- /Featured News Excerpt -->

                            <!-- Featured News Social Links -->
                            <?php include('includes/social.inc.php'); ?>
                            <!-- /Featured News Social Links -->

                        </article>
                        <!-- /Post -->

                    <!-- Featured News Loop -->
                    <?php
                        endwhile; endif;
                        /* PageNavi at Bottom */
                        if (function_exists('wp_pagenavi')){wp_pagenavi();}
                        $wp_query = null;
                        $wp_query = $temp;
                        wp_reset_query();
                    ?>
                    <!-- /Featured News Loop -->

                <!-- Pagination -->
                <?php if ($wp_query->max_num_pages > 1) : ?>
                    <div class="grid_10 pagination older-news">
                        <?php next_posts_link( __( '<span class="arrow">&larr;</span> Older', 'twentyten' ) ); ?>
                        <div class="pagination newer-news">
                        <?php previous_posts_link( __( 'Newer <span class="arrow">&rarr;</span>', 'twentyten' ) ); ?>
                        </div>
                    </div>
                <?php endif; ?>
                <!-- /Pagination -->

            </section>
            <!-- /Featured News -->

            <!-- What's Happening -->
            <div <?php if (is_paged()) {echo "id=margin-top-120-o";}?>>
                <?php include('includes/whats-happening.inc.php'); ?>
            </div>
            <!-- /What's Happening -->

        </div>
        <!-- /960 16 Column Grid -->

Answer 1

i'm not sure what you are trying to achieve w/ the $paged variable. seems like you could simplify your query though

$posts_per_page = is_paged() ? 5 : 2; 

$args=array(
      'post_type'=>'post',
      'category_name' => 'featured-content',
      'posts_per_page' => $posts_per_page
);

$temp = $wp_query;
$wp_query= null;
$wp_query = new WP_Query($args);

edit, adding an offset (and fixing syntax errors):

$paged = (get_query_var('paged')) ? get_query_var('paged') : 1;
$posts_per_page = !is_paged() ? 5 : 2; 
$offset = is_paged() ? 5 + 2*($paged-2) : 0;

$args=array(
      'post_type'=>'post',
      'category_name' => 'featured-content',
      'posts_per_page' => $posts_per_page,
      'offset' => $offset
);

$featured = new WP_Query($args);

if($featured->have_posts()):

    echo '<ul>';

    while ($featured->have_posts()): $featured->the_post();
        echo '<li>' . get_the_title(). '</li>';
    endwhile;

    echo "</ul>";
endif;

it is possible that if you don't have a ton of featured items, you will run out as you go back through the paging.