WP_query to put a post from one category in sidebar?

Hello, everyone!

I’m tweaking a template in an attempt to put the latest post from a specific category into the sidebar, as kind of a “featured post.” From the codex, I understand that I should use wp_query to do this because it’s happening outside the_loop.

The code I’m trying to use is

<?php $videoPosts = new WP_Query('cat=7&showposts=1'); ?>
     <?php while ($videoPosts->have_posts()) : $videoPosts->the_post(); ?>
     <?php the_content(); ?>
  <?php endwhile; ?>

If I remove the “cat=7” from the first line, it works–it displays the latest post made (not specified by category).

However, once I put the “cat=7” into the code, it stops working altogether; nothing shows up at all, from any category.

I’ve been through the codex and the forums, but I can’t figure out where I’m going wrong. I’ve also tried using “category_name” instead of “cat”, replacing the variable with the name of the category. No luck there, either.

Can a kind guru please tell me what I’m doing wrong?