In my initial short searches I did earlier, Antonio Gramsci comes up as addressing the issue of “cultural hegemony”, where art and entertainment tends to represent the dominant bourgeois culture, which makes a lot of sense. I’ve heard of Gramsci in passing, but haven’t read anything by him yet. I think it’s a good place to begin regarding a critical analysis.
Also worth reading is Camus' short piece "Create Dangerously", on the responsibility that artists have to challenge.
I don't have it bookmarked any more, but Slashdot is the grand-daddy of them all, and still going strong. Unlike Ars Technica, I can't vouch for it's comments being quite as informative or interesting (not for a few decades now)