$defaults = array(
                'numberposts' => 5, 'offset' => 0,
                'category' => 0, 'orderby' => 'post_date',
                'order' => 'DESC', 'include' => array(),
                'exclude' => array(), 'meta_key' => '',
                'meta_value' =>'', 'post_type' => 'post',
                'suppress_filters' => true
        );
    $r = wp_parse_args( $args, $defaults );
    if ( empty( $r['post_status'] ) )
                $r['post_status'] = ( 'attachment' == $r['post_type'] ) ? 'inherit' : 'publish';
        if ( ! empty($r['numberposts']) && empty($r['posts_per_page']) )
                $r['posts_per_page'] = $r['numberposts'];
        if ( ! empty($r['category']) )
                $r['cat'] = $r['category'];
        if ( ! empty($r['include']) ) {
                $incposts = wp_parse_id_list( $r['include'] );
                $r['posts_per_page'] = count($incposts);  // only the number of posts included
                $r['post__in'] = $incposts;
        } elseif ( ! empty($r['exclude']) )
                $r['post__not_in'] = wp_parse_id_list( $r['exclude'] );

        $r['ignore_sticky_posts'] = true;
        $r['no_found_rows'] = true;

    global $wpdb;
    $querystr = "
    SELECT wposts.ID AS post_id, wposts.post_author, wposts.post_date, wposts.post_date_gmt, wposts.post_content, wposts.post_title, wposts.post_excerpt,       wposts.post_status, wposts.comment_status, wposts.ping_status, wposts.pinged, wposts.post_modified, wposts.post_modified_gmt, wposts.post_parent,       wposts.guid, wposts.post_type, wposts.post_mime_type, wposts.comment_count, wpauthor.ID AS user_id, wpauthor.user_login, wpauthor.user_nicename,        wpauthor.user_status, wptax.*, wpterms.*, wptermsrel.*
    FROM $wpdb->posts wposts
    INNER JOIN  $wpdb->users wpauthor
        ON wposts.post_author = wpauthor.ID
    INNER JOIN  $wpdb->term_relationships wptermsrel
        ON wposts.ID = wptermsrel.object_id
    INNER JOIN  $wpdb->term_taxonomy wptax
        ON wptermsrel.term_taxonomy_id = wptax.term_taxonomy_id
    INNER JOIN  $wpdb->terms wpterms
        ON wptax.term_id = wpterms.term_id
    WHERE wposts.post_status = $r['post_status']
    AND wposts.post_type = $r['post_type']
    AND wposts.post_date < NOW()
    GROUP BY wposts.ID
    ORDER BY wposts.$r['orderby'] $r['order']
    LIMIT $r['posts_per_page'], $r['offset']
    ";
$posts = $wpdb->get_results($querystr, OBJECT);